Celebrating Bravery: Guest Blogger, Sarah Carter

Happy Friday!

Today's guest post about bravery is from one of the most quirky, creative, whip-smart, kick-ass ladies I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. She's a dear friend and a former colleague, and her act of bravery - moving to Nashville, TN to play music - is quite inspiring. Enjoy!

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I'm pretty sure I have more than one cavity.  I haven't had my teeth cleaned in two years, nor been to the doctor, and I've been paying a ridiculous amount for my monthly allergy medicine due to my crappy insurance. 

These are the jobs I've had in the past two years: barista, nanny, warehouse worker, book lister, long-term substitute, short-term substitute, teaching fellow, farm worker, children's farm curriculum coordinator, and finally legitimate, private school teacher.  

Why am I starting out this essay about bravery with these unsavory details?  Because even in spite of this craziness, it has been totally worth it to make the very small geographical change that I did, if for no reason except that I might never wake up at 40 thinking I never really gave things a shot.

My name is Sarah Carter, and Kelly and I taught together for 3 years.  Without her encouragement I probably wouldn't still be a teacher, or have moved to Nashville, or tried to go for whatever it is I'm going for (which seems to change daily).  Knowing this, the move didn't really seem like bravery, but more like divine intervention or a last resort. 

After 3 years teaching in Norfolk, I was trying to figure out why I was unhappy, blaming it on my unfulfilled desire to study writing.  After one frank conversation with Kelly, she helped me put my whole life in perspective:

"Do you really want to do that?" she asked.

"You don't wanna do that.  Go to Nashville and be a waitress and play music." 

So that's what I did.  

 

 {Sarah Carter}

I didn't really come to Nashville thinking I would "make it," but wanting to play more music.  The way this happened was I got so tweaked out about how incredible all the musicians I know here are, so I quit playing shows for a bit.  The only thing I played was gospel music at a nursing home. 

Cowardice?  Maybe.  But it did help me answer why I love to play music (again).

Singing music makes people strong.  Hearing music soothes people's nerves.  This helped give nursing home residents and me a purpose. 

I also got weekly hugs, and learned that if someone is wheeling in to pinch you in a blaze of dementia, you can slide out your foot or instrument case out to stop their wheel before they can reach you.

In the beginning, I  wasn’t sure if I would want to be a full-time musician if I could, but now I know that.  I don't love sleeping on the questionably clean floors of strangers and waiting for an a ailing van to break down in the middle-of-nowhere Wisconsin like a lot of traveling musicians.

I also know that some music is for small-scale community building, and that I don't need to feel guilty if what I want to play falls into that category.

Trying something new and brave to you doesn't necessarily mean you'll be able to maintain your goal weight. 

Sometimes you need to drink Coors Lite tallboys while you're waiting around for your epiphany. 

Sometimes trying something new means you need to realize that there's a whole section of the population who don't adhere to your general persuasion about the way humans should smell. 

Sometimes trying something new means you need to get your ass up and iron your shirt for an interview, or just get your ass up and pray and believe that change is possible despite your desperate (for the western world) situation.   

 In conclusion, do it.  Do what you're wanting to do or waiting for the right time to do.  Don't feel bad for being cautious or informed about your big deal, but be prepared. 

You can live without a lot of the stuff that you think you can't. 

Dried beans are $1.50 and if you add in a can of diced chiles, and one or two sweet potatoes, you have burrito stuffing for half a week. 

 In The Artist's Way Julia Cameron talks a lot about the idea of how by stepping out in an act of creative faith, many times God will meet you half way as you'll realize everything you need is all around you, just not looking the way you expected or answering to the name you call it.