Hallelujah

I was just watching the X Factor and probably heard the most distinctive rendition of Leonard Cohen's song,  Hallelujah.  It was a beautiful vocal and I had tingles running through my body. The man who sang it was a single father and is the same age as me.  His son had never heard him sing before and he came running on to the stage after.  It was quite a touching moment.

I realize that reality shows have taken over the television landscape over the last ten years.  I have mixed feelings about how much they are intertwined in to our pop culture.  There is a lot of crap spanning the scope of our viewing experience and I choose to pass on the Jersey Shores of the world.  The wonderful thing about shows such as X Factor,  The Voice and American Idol is that it gives ordinary people the opportunity to do extraordinary things.  Sometimes in life,  all someone needs is the opportunity to shine through and persevere through whatever struggles they may have endured.  As Eminem says in the song Lose Yourself,
 " Look, if you had one shot, one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted in one moment,
Would you capture it or just let it slip?"  Some of these contestants do seize their moment and fills me with joy when I see them fulfill their dreams.

I used to believe that I have let my "one moment" pass me by.  I certainly squandered many opportunities to achieve some of the aspirations I used to have growing up.  Alcohol definitely played a big role in that,  it affected my innate ability to succeed in varying aspects of my life.  Well,  if tonight proved anything to me,  it is never too late to search for that "one moment" in life.  If I ever get the opportunity to write for a living,  I certainly will not let it go.  Maybe just living day by day and trying to be the best person I can be is what I have I have been missing all these years.

I used to be scared of dying.  In actuality,  that fear probably saved my life.  There were so many times when I simply wanted to give up on this world.  Part of the reason I did not is that I was worried about my place in the great beyond.  I was ashamed of the life I had led and felt their was no good place for me to spend eternity.  Now I do not have that same fear as I have evolved as a person.  I still aspire to make changes but,  I am proud to be who I am now.  I fight the good fight and that is all I can ask of myself.  I cannot change the past but,  I can shape the future in all of its hopes and dreams.

I realize the last paragraph was a bit of an odd one to throw in there but,  I just felt the need to get it down.

Anyway,  I will end on that note.  One more day till the weekend and some relaxation time.

Hope this finds you well.  Take care,  Shawn.

Believe in your ability to rise above any situation.