Dig Deep – Not for Turkey, for Thanks

This Thursday is the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States.  Some people will blog about what they’re thankful for.  Others will post about how we should be thankful the whole year through and not just that one Thursday in late November (and I agree with that).

But what about musicians?  What about songwriters and performers?  What’s the approach there?

I would suggest that these folks be thankful for the not-so-obvious; the talent you were born with or have developed, sure, but being able to DO those things too.  I was talking to an insurance guy who pointed out potential claims such as a guitar player who loses a finger (or two) and all of a sudden can't play, or a musician whose back goes out and then can't carry their gear so they have to miss one or more gigs.

While you can be thankful that you have a great guitar, or that you were able to save up enough money to buy that awesome drum kit, it’s the opportunities you have with those instruments (and yes, that includes your singing voice) that you should have gratitude for.  Think about all the people who look forward to weekends or holidays.  Those folks can’t wait to have time off from work so that they can unwind and go relax while listening to entertainers like you!

How great is it to be the one who’s helping them forget the stress of their job and carry them into the night with a song that they probably started secretly YouTube’ing at around 3:00 on that Friday afternoon?

Next month will be Christmas, which means we’re at the time when we’ll start hearing holiday MUSIC.  Listeners fall in love again with the great treatment that a modern day artist puts on an old classic.  They long to start hearing songs that remind them of when they were kids.  Subconsciously they want to be heard singing that song with a Hallmark-type setting behind them.  They can’t, but they’re happy to have performers like you to listen to singing that ballad.

It’s not an official U.S. holiday, but, Super Bowl Sunday has become a day when the majority of Americans gather together at house parties to watch the NFL title game.  Just today the league announced that Katy Perry will be the halftime performer, which everyone will talk about and want to tune in to watch.  Just like… the national anthem singer!

Granted, everyone reading this blog isn’t likely on the path to having their music on the radio during Christmas time (or perhaps even in non-holiday times) or being contacted by the NFL to perform in conjunction with their biggest game of the year.  But, it’s the idea that everyone loves watching people like you display your talents.  That song that uplifts them or that guitar riff that excites them or that drum solo that gets their blood flowing too are all gifts that you have that others stand in awe of.  Be thankful for these skills and whatever stage you’re standing or sitting on as an audience of five or 50 or 500 watches you.

Who knows, someone at your Thanksgiving table might even ask you to do a song after the meal.  And you should.  Because you can.