FEEL.
Bryan Patterson
Getty Images
2017 seems to be the year of bad news. Natural disasters, sexual harassment cases, death tolls, and Tyrese have left a lot of people emotionally exhausted. 'I'm sorry,' doesn't feel genuine anymore, just like 'I love you,' doesn't mean what it used to. It's almost as if forgiveness isn't granted nowadays -- it's assumed. Being bombarded with so many provoking situations has desensitized a lot of us. Before we can process one event, we're side swiped by three more tragedies. It seems like this year forced us to forget how to FEEL.
On November 6th, PBS premiered the highly anticipated 'Chasing Trane' documentary about John Coltrane -- a man who revolutionized how people interpreted Jazz with the sound of his saxophone. There was a point in Coltrane's life where he made a pivotal turn both in his life and in his career. It's documented that when he recorded his most successful album, 'A Love Supreme,' in 1965, he was in tune with himself, his music, and God. One of the reasons why he's so revered is because he made people FEEL.
via PBS
The differences between 1965 and 2017 are vast. There are new tools, different norms, and another climate. The common thread that runs through these differences is time. Instead of streaming any song you want with your thumb, the kids of the 60's had to go to the store, buy a vinyl record, go home, load the vinyl onto a record player, place the needle on the record and pray that it didn't scratch before their parent's got home. The process is what made the time beautiful. In 2017, we don't have time to process. We forgot how to FEEL.
This time of the year is when people start evaluating and planning how to become a better version of themselves. In regards to being in tune with yourself, the best thing you can do is take the necessary time to process. Read the news instead of watching it. Buy an album you love. Call somebody that you text all the time. Cry. Take time to heal. Go to the gym before you think about surgery. Cook instead of ordering Postmates. Pick a day to go to the movies instead of watching Netflix.
Whatever you do, take the time to FEEL.
via Gabrielle Cidras
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