Rock Forevermore and Share Your Talent With the World

I have to admit, I was once a serious rocker in my late teens and early twenties.

I think I attended just about every rock n’ roll concert available in those days! I loved all kinds of rock n’ roll music from soft rock to hard rock to heavy metal. It touched a part of my heart and soul like nothing else did. Music took me away to a happier place, and I was in awe of how magical it was, how it made me feel, and how it helped me to cope with a difficult emotional life back then.

Now, as a more mature adult, however, I realize how special music is. I now love almost all kinds of music from just about every era in addition to classic rock. As a more astutely thinking and feeling adult, I cherish and admire musicians, those who create the music from their souls and their hearts and share it with the world. You might, too!

A friend of mine shared a video with me of the honoring of Led Zeppelin at the 35^th Annual John F. Kennedy Center Honors on Dec 26, 2012.  The final performance brought tears to my eyes.  Oh, the memories and the nostalgia that I felt listening to this piece!  It was a rendition of Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven (in my humble opinion, the best all-time rock n’ roll song ever written and played), beautifully sung by Ann Wilson from the rock group, Heart. The last part of the performance made my heart skip a beat and fired up every nerve of my being!

After listening to this song and watching this video numerous times, I could not help but think about what it was that truly moved me to tears and made me feel so alive. Was it the lyrics, the melody, the performers, or all of the above? I pondered and concluded it was all that and two things: the creativity and talent involved in creating this magnificent masterpiece of a song, and the grouping of these musicians. Was it by chance that these artists stumbled upon each other, or was there some outside force, like a god, involved? We will never know, but nonetheless, it is nothing less than amazing that these musicians found each other.

Those two things made me realize we have so much potential as human beings. We all have never-ending gifts and talents that are waiting to be watered and harvested. It doesn’t ever end. We have so much to give and share.

Some of us don’t believe we have gifts or talents. Imagine if Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, or John Bonham from Led Zeppelin, or Ann and Nancy Wilson from Heart had those beliefs. What a tragedy that would have been, right? Not only would I not be writing this blog, but none of us would have had the pleasure of listening to their moving music. How many of us give up on our dreams because we think no one wants to partake in or share in our valuable gifts and talents?

If you are in that group, I want to remind you that you DO have talents and gifts. Everyone does. And, it is your responsibility to share them with the world, for if you do not, the world will not be enlightened by you, and you will not be living fully. Not all of us are musicians, but we all have talents that we long to share, and sharing them brings us great joy. What are your gifts? Are you sharing them?

My favorite rock band, Led Zeppelin, will always remain in my heart. I will probably listen to this rendition of Stairway to Heaven for as long as I can remember to do so! Music has always and will always ignite my spirit profoundly. What can you do that would touch others and make them come alive? What would make YOU come alive? Think about it and do it.

View the honoring of Led Zeppelin at the John F. Kennedy Center below.

Read about Led Zeppelin and Heart.

Let us ROCK our talents, and long live Led Zep!