Wishing For Wonders VS Working For Greatness...

I've wished for a lot of things in my life.  I, along with countless others, find myself often wishing to be independently wealthy so I can live my life completely free.  More often I find myself wishing the EMS/Paramedic system were something I could continue to grow in, excel in, to the point of flight medic in a medical helicopter.  I wish that being born with epilepsy wouldn't have put all my work in the EMS world to a screeching hault.  What's more, I used to wish that wishes could eventually come true.

It's been rough times for many people I know lately.  I've seen too many scarred hearts full of nothing but wishing.  For all the wishing, there's a whole lot of nothing happening.  I know what you're probably thinking.  This is going to be a "Poor me, this is how much I hate my life because of Epilepsy" or some similar point.  That's not the case.

Thankfully, adversity throughout my life has taught me one thing.  Wishing for something does nothing.  It is now more than ever I realize that while many of us are wasting our time wishing, there are so many more people who are busy busting their asses to create the change they want and need in their lives.  Wishing is energy wasted.  Working is energy transformed into change.  It's easier for us to sit and wish about things, because that requires no effort.

I have a challenge in my life.  Of course it breaks my heart that I'll never be a flight medic, and probably never be on an ambulance again due to issues resurfacing from being born an Epileptic.  Instead of using that heartache to feed into a pool of self pity, I'm using the energy to fuel the fire within.  All I needed was a little regrouping.  My passion remains in the world of public safety and emergency medicine.  I can still be a very integral part of that world.

I'm 31 years old, and even though it scares me to death, I'm starting over.  I'm going to college for the first time since high school.  I'm going to get my degree as a registered nurse, and I'm going straight to work in an emergency room as soon as I graduate!  All of my EMT, EMS Instructor, and CPR courses were all private classes focused on that certification alone.  No college credit is accrued.  I'm truly stepping into the unknown.  At first I was scared, especially being at this age and going at it all by myself.  As I complete each step necessary to get closer to that first day of classes, my fear is turning into ambition.  What was once fear is now a burning desire to tackle this, give it my all, and become a fucking amazing nurse. 

I can't wait to be saving lives again.  It's where I belong.  I know this won't happen overnight.  I've got two and a half years ahead of me before I'm ready for a Trauma One level emergency room.  Instead of being a rush to get through it, I'm going to make this time in school the experience of a lifetime and embrace it.  After all, these two and a half years are shaping the rest of my life.  No more wishing for things.  It's time say "fuck you" to adversity and WORK to make good things happen out of what was a disheartening situation.  I can't wait for the rest of my life, and the lives of others I'll impact along the way.

Auditory Earmark: Introductions To Expression

"Music is one of my biggest passions" is a statement that can be said, and holds very true, for just about any person I could ever encounter.  Music is a method of comprehending, exploring, communicating, and expressing that which is the human condition in a way that is far beyond the abilities of any language, whether spoken or written.  One of my favorite quotes of all time, which explains this concept perfectly, states that "talking about music is like dancing about architecture."  I couldn't agree more.

People express their passion for music in countless many ways.  Each one is the best form of expression for that individual.  Some will become artists and creators to add their own impression to the music culture, some choose to promote the music they love in the form of concerts and events so they help others enjoy the music they love with them, while more still become dancers to physically express how music affects them with beautiful movement.

My form of music expression is sharing it.  In the past it was in the form of CDs, where many of my friends would love to receive a compilation CD, always excited when I had another one for them.  I'm a person of an extremely emotional nature, and at times it used to be so intense I couldn't really process it all.  Whether the emotion was happy, sad, scared, mad, hurt, and or any of the countless combinations the heart can create, I didn't understand how to handle the intensity of emotion my heart was capable of generating.  I finally learned over the years to channel my emotions through music, a way to "let it burn", to process it by letting it be what it needs to be and riding it out to its full process.  Just like the many types of emotion, I've created many types of play lists.  Whether it be fun and upbeat, vocal and fun to sing along, hard and angry, or tugging at the very strings of your heart, I've got a play list for that.

What used to be CDs is now so much easier to share.  As technology continues to make the world smaller and easier to access, I can now share it to almost anybody with the touch of a button.  As a result, I've created a periodical "chapter" within my blog called Auditory Earmark.  Within the next few weeks, I'll have completed turning Auditory Earmark into it's own separate blog, a place where I can easily enjoy my love for sharing music, but now invite others to post their play lists and compilations as well.

I find it appropriate to start things off with the two play lists that mean the most to me.  First in the journey is a play list I started a little over three years, and I've turned to time and time again for some amazing soul searching.  It's evolved over the years, and been fine tuned repeatedly.  This version posted has been the final version for several months now.  Over the past several years, I've found an absolute love for the acoustic/folk/singer&songwriter sets of music.  Some of the most powerful music, and moments, I've ever experienced.  I love a powerful set of lyrics just as much as an intense peak in the music itself.  I can find the perfect song within these genres to match almost any type and intensity of emotion.  This compilation was created to sing to our more personal, private, and often painful emotions.  Exploring the process of falling down, nursing a wound, and picking yourself back up to patch the wounds, right the wrongs, and fix mistakes. This one is titled "The Spark That Bled..."




My second choice to share is a play list I have recently been listening to several times a day.  This compilation was created, fine tuned, and finalized within 24 hours.  For the time being, this one is my "masterpiece" in my mind.  That is always subject to change, however, as I'm always discovering and experiencing music and creating more play lists.  This was created as a sequel to "The Spark That Bled...", speaking to the lighter side of our emotions.  This one explores the joys of experiencing an absolutely wonderful day, finding strength within yourself to do just about anything, standing up for yourself in adversity, or simply enjoying the perfect moment in time.  This sequel is aptly titled "The Silver Lining."




Here is the link to my Grooveshark profile so you can get the full featured player instead of the little embedded playlist in each post:  http://grooveshark.com/jesse.briggs

Once I've completed the creation of the separate "Auditory Earmark" blog, I want it to be an open forum.  This will be a way for my fellow music lovers, and even those of you that create your own music, to share and express the music you love the most.  If interested in posting play lists or single songs, or even writing music reviews, please contact me.  My e-mail is Jesse.Briggs.EMT@gmail.com.

Much love,

Jesse