Diamonds…if you have ever purchased one you know that what defines a good diamond is the 4 C's. The 4 C's are as follows:

Color

Clarity

Cut

Carat Weight

Sometimes the flaws actually give the stone character. Other times the flaws render the diamond worthless, or only useful

for industrial purposes or what some call "junk" jewelry ( stuff that's shiny and pretty but of no real value or quality)

With that said, I have been working, not only on music, but some other projects as well. However, the most important work that I have been doing during my hiatus…wait… for what I have learned during this time I think it would be more fitting to call it a sabbatical; I have quietly been working on adjusting my life,getting reacquainted with the music and myself. Which most who do what I do find they need to do from time to time.  Some take a few months. I took longer. Wasn't the plan, but plans seldom go as we think they should.  I don't fight it, it's usually for the better.  Anyway, now that I am sorting and setting up and reflecting on what time has given me... here's where I land with it all. So, I consider myself a Diamond; a finely faceted, unique, made better with time, and self love, diamond.  However, I don't measure myself by the same exact set of standards as one would measure the value of an actual diamond.  So here are my 4 C's with definitions. 

ca·thar·sis
kəˈTHärsəs
noun
1.
the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.
synonyms: emotional release, relief, release, venting; More
2.
MEDICINErare
purgation.

clar·i·ty
ˈklerədē/
noun
the quality of being clear, in particular.
the quality of coherence and intelligibility.
"for the sake of clarity, each of these strategies is dealt with separately"
synonyms: lucidity, lucidness, clearness, coherence; formalperspicuity
"the clarity of his account"
the quality of being easy to see or hear; sharpness of image or sound.
"the clarity of the picture"
synonyms: sharpness, clearness, crispness, definition
"the clarity of the image"

cor·rect
kəˈrekt/
adjective
1.
free from error; in accordance with fact or truth.
"make sure you have been given the correct information"
synonyms: right, accurate, true, exact, precise, unerring, faithful, strict, faultless, flawless, error-free, perfect, letter-perfect, word-perfect; More
verb
1.
put right (an error or fault).
"the council issued a statement correcting some points in the press reports"
synonyms: rectify, put right, set right, right, amend, emend, remedy, repair
"proofread your work and correct any mistakes"

choice
CHois/
noun
1.
an act of selecting or making a decision when faced with two or more possibilities.
"the choice between good and evil"
synonyms: option, alternative, possible course of action
"you have no other choice"
synonyms: sharpness, clearness, crispness, definition
"the clarity of the image"

Purge... let it go...Catharsis. Essentially it's a rather simple and very necessary first step. It is also the most personal, and different for everyone. It may be start and stop, it may flow out like a flood. Either way, when you don't allow yourself to feel, you stifle and tolerate thinking your keeping above it, but you are in fact drowning. We are human beings, and breathing is kind of a MUST to survive. Allow it to happen, Catharsis…purge and let go of what doesn't serve you well. Pain is NOT a requirement to be able to be compassionate and or creative. Too many creative people have been sold on the idea that suffering makes you better at your craft. Well…I would rather not subscribe to that notion. Don't be a martyr. Process yo sh*t, see it for what it is, then throw it over a proverbial cliff.  And if lemmings that get off on it care to do so, let them follow.   Don't go chasing after what you have discarded.  Accept that whatever it is…it is what it is. Healthy self …Heal thy self. Get it? Good!

NEXT! Clarity; what I have found is that when you are able to safely, peacefully process things you gain clarity. You see the true "what" and "why' of things. If you can't see all of the truths in things you will wind up in a nasty loop of repeating whatever you did that contributed to your grief. My personal fail, waiting for reason to resolve things,  from the unreasonable. If something is untenable, don't give anyone an easy exit strategy thinking it's the right way to do things, that gives them power to delay your journey. Until you see that…nasty loop keeps playing. Just saying…   Again, this is about accepting that whatever it is, it is what it is.  Get to a place of objectivity… I have found that more often than not its much easier to untangle knots after you have gotten a grasp of what types of knots they are. Just pulling and tugging…makes them tighter. You want to unravel them, so relax and get comfy in the truths, all of them …good and bad. Then proceed.  

Correct..Correction : Yeah okay…kinda obvious. No more knots, no more anxiety, no more being thrown off by Gas-lighting…no more excuses! Get on with taking control of the things that are within your purview to control.  Start small, and work your way up. Forgive what is forgivable and acknowledge but dismiss what is not,its not your burden so don't claim and carry it.  Be kind to yourself, loving to yourself, you control your mood and happy.  If you don't feel loved, appreciated or respected, correct that sh*t!    As my cousin told me once as a little girl "Look in the mirror, and tell yourself you love YOU, everyday. There is no guarantee anyone else will". I miss her more than words can ever say.  And everyday when I do that, I feel her close. And she was right to tell me that, because it's true.  Correcting the need…expectation of getting that elsewhere even when there is a reasonable expectation that you should be able to expect it, that…expectation is a mistake. At the least, sometimes misplaced. Reciprocity is also not guaranteed in this life, give with no expectations.  If you are guilty of making that mistake..correct it. I had to.  What anyone thinks of you or has to say about you is their opinion, don't defend, don't debate, that's a waste of your time. Let the flying monkeys do what they do.  I don't swat at flying monkeys anymore, I leave snacks out for them. I'm nice like that.  Poor things, they have no idea what they are caping for half the time, but they learn. lol   All jokes aside, You can't correct what others do, have done or are doing that may adversely affect you, but you can correct many situations by doing whats right as you see fit, as best you can, then step back put the rest on faith and be content that you did the right thing.  After that, everything else  tends to align an fall into place, as it is meant to. You have to have FAITH!

And lastly…Choice…Choosing: This is the greatest power you have! Free will, its a beautiful thing!  What I love about having a grip on this simple yet powerful thing is that it enables you to use all of the above and more to CHOOSE to be happy. Even if you are trying to navigate things that hurt…devastate, confuse, delay, distract…you have the choice of either being controlled by those things or saying.."Awwww Hell NO!!"  Granted usually there is  some form of blow back, but even that, you choose how to deal with it. I find that I choose not to give blow back of any kind too much of my emotion…energy anymore. I acknowledge it of course, but I choose to say " Wow, that's pretty sh*tty. BUT I will move it out of my way, climb over it, or go thru it…its just an obstacle and obstacles are not insurmountable." See… simple…okay, maybe not so simple.  It takes work to get there. BUT that is the point of it all. Nothing worth having is ever easy.  

OK...So, why am I saying all of this? Because as I return to this work, I have had to clean up some audio files off of one of my digital storage units to make room for new stuff, and it's had me going down memory lane BIG TIME!  At this point I think I will just have to get more storage, can't bring myself to delete much of anything. lol  Anyway, I have found that in many of my Old Records…its almost like myself then is talking to the me I am now. I'm kinda impressed, I was so young yet pretty deep back then! Hahahahahahaha  Seriously, I am enjoying my own work in a totally different way today. And its been fun and cathartic.  It has also been very comforting in some ways. It serves as a reminder that I have come a long way!  And there is soooo much more to do. In a way the me I was years ago is cheering the me I am today onward.

It's also a reminder that there is a reason we are inspired to do what we do when we do it…as spacey as it may sound to some, I truly believe your soul/ higher-self knows EVERYTHING, and when you listen, feel and do from your heart, you do what you are supposed to do, and you wind up exactly where you are supposed to be. I have always been a firm believer that every trial is designed to fashion you into the brilliant DIAMOND you are meant to be. I have forgotten the peace that lies in that belief at times due to focusing on the discomfort of being faceted, but I always remember.  Every cut…facet is for a reason. It may not feel good at the time, hell it may bring you to your knees…( BTW: while down there, PRAY! Then get back up!) but it truly does contribute to your individual beauty.

Speaking of beauty…it's a totally subjective thing, and here's the real about beauty; to be the best Diamond version of myself as God/the Universe intended me to be... I understand and accept that although some will consider me unworthy, others may  find me entertaining, shiny, stunning even…but that's all vanity. I have substance, I am the strongest element on the planet. (I don't know what those other 2 things on google are, so whatever…I'm sticking to the Diamond being the hardest mineral fact…lol)   True beauty lies in strength; strength of your integrity,generosity, self awareness, self love, love for others, compassion,FAITH,  as well as appreciation for all things great and small. And lastly, accepting that even with my tiny inclusions, and random flaws, I am precious, priceless and always BEAUTIFUL in my Creators eyes. My advice to my fellow diamonds; Don't mind the cubic zircons and their chatter if they come for you. You know the real…and diamonds are never set alongside cubic zircons and rhinestones. Bless their superficial hearts, they do have their place, but never forget yours.  

Owning your Diamond status is how you can truly allow your fire to shine thru in all that you do. Regarding this work…for me, its how I am able to go with no sleep at times because the lyrics and melodies are keeping me up at night. It pushes me to choose to let my desire to do what I do publicly outweigh my fear of "Will 'they' approve".  It keeps me aware that we all have a purpose, and if mine is to say or sing or publish something that connects with just one person, and helps , touches, or moves them…makes them smile…then so be it, I'll catch the light and do my little part.  Fact is, we all know how others have made us feel, good or bad. But do you ever stop and think of how you make others feel? I have been very fortunate over the years to have people write me and tell me what any given song or line from a song has meant to them. That's such a GIFT and BLESSING and it keeps it all in perspective, humbling. 

Oh and a friendly side note to those who may get the whole diamond thing twisted; You can be a diamond, but you don't have to be haughty and arrogant. Just as easily as the muse visits you, they can visit someone else.  And if you take it for granted, or reject the inspiration and desire to do what you are probably supposed to do, you can't always get it back. Respect whatever your Gifts and Talents are. Whether for a crowd or not  you might as well keep twinkling so that whoever is meant to be touched by your light, is.  If you don't know, know this; You have got to be a diamond to do this…to  create and make people feel while being strong enough to withstand the pressure and heat. And of course as with all precious jewels, sometimes you have to step back,and away for a time from prying eyes and harmful elements and such to preserve yourself. But if you're really a diamond… you will always pop back out of the box, hop off the shelf and get back to doing what you do best.   (did I cram enough metaphor in there or what?!?!? Ha!)  

I leave you with that. Let it marinate. Now as for me, this looong blog entry was a coffee break.  Time to get back to work! I will update soon. In the meantime I have switched out the music on the site (and will keep doing so till "Go" time) to showcase a few of my favorites from yesteryear as something of an Overture for what is coming next… I will make a decision on what to do about social media as I keep getting grilled for not being in that vortex. I will say this I have been considering VERO. Dunno… 

Till next time, give LOVE! Be careful with others…and be gentle, kind, and loving to yourself. 

LOVE, LIGHT & PEACE Always,

J.