Welcome to my blog - More than the music

Let go...and go with the flow! 

Sometimes you just have to let go and go with the flow...I have definitely learned this over the past few months!

There is no doubt a natural cycle in life.  Unfortunately, that doesn’t always follow the way that I think things should go.  Do you ever feel like you are paddling upstream, going against the current or forcing things in life?  I’ve definitely felt this many times and it’s usually because of my need to control certain situations or simply do everything the way I think they should be done (even if it’s not necessarily the best way!).  Usually this leads to stress, anxiety and fear of the future because you become so anxious about what is coming next that you lose sight of the most important time, the present. 
 
I was contemplating this today as I was in the process of putting together a music tour this summer in addition to thinking of all of the other million things that I need to get done before then.  I started realizing how anxious I was and needed to step away for a bit so I decided to go outside and do a few stretching exercises and some basic yoga in the grass.  Even though I only did this for about 10 minutes, it really helped reconnect me to nature and the normal flow of life.  It also reminded me that things will eventually take care of themselves and me worrying about them won’t help the situation any.  I think the ladybug that I saw also agreed with my thoughts on this…lol.
 


I’ve often found that whenever I start to have this anxious feeling, doing something out in nature or simply setting aside some time to meditate and allow your mind to be free and let go of everything helps tremendously.  Not only am I refreshed afterwards, I am much more inspired, motivated and focused to do the tasks that I need to get done! 
 
So there you have it, my two cents for the day!  I’ve even got it on my to do list to write a song about “going with the flow”, but it hasn’t quite happened yet.  I am ok with that though because I know that it’ll happen when it’s supposed to!   Hope you have a wonderful rest of your day!!   : )
 
-Caleb


Edit: After writing this, I've also concluded that another thing we need to let go of is our FEAR!!  It is no longer serving us...  More on that to come later!  : )

Keep Pushing On - The story behind my new song 

       I have some requests to give some of the background behind various songs of mine so I’ll start with my newest one! Its still technically unrecorded, but I do have an acoustic version of it posted below.

     I wrote “Keep Pushing On” about the unexpected challenges that we face in life…when circumstances aren’t exactly in our favor. For me, it was early October and I had been fighting Lyme disease for about 3 months (7 months now). For those that don’t know, Lyme disease is a serious persistent bacterial infection that comes from a tick and is a lot of times (and in my case) accompanied by multiple other diseases and co-infections. Many people around the world are affected by this serious illness although it varies from person to person as to what the symptoms are and how severe it is. Some people that don’t catch it early get to the point where they are nearly paralyzed. Since getting it myself, I’ve heard many stories about people that were misdiagnosed and got to the point where they had to quit work and go on disability after not being able to find any answers to their deterioration in health.

     Fortunately for me, I caught it early and knew within a couple of weeks what I had. However, I ended up having multiple co-infections which complicates matters quite a bit as the different bacteria actually work together to tear down your immune system and the rest of your body. I’ve had symptoms that range anywhere from extreme fatigue, muscle twitching and brain fog to mild tremors, muscle achiness and nausea. I’ve had some days where merely getting out of bed was a significant accomplishment for the day because my body felt so weak. On days like this, I definitely had some pretty negative thoughts and started to wonder if life was even worth living.

     With each day, I am getting closer to recovery though. After 7 months of treatment, I’m back to about 90%, but it hasn’t come without a fight! My diet has been limited to vegetables, eggs, nuts and a few lean meats like chicken and fish. No sugar, no saturated fats, no gluten or starch and no dairy. Throughout that time, I have been on (and continue to be on antibiotics) and have lost 20-25 pounds. A great diet plan for those of you looking to lose weight! I’ve also spent about $6,000 out of pocket on doctor visits, antibiotics and supplements. There is one plus though…as a part of the treatment, they recommend that you get regular massages which I definitely can’t complain about!!


A picture of my prescription drug/supplement factory

     I tell you all of this not for you to feel sorry for me, but to give an example that sometimes life hands us difficult situations. And ultimately, how we respond to them is what makes us who we are.  There’s no question that this experience has been challenging for me, but I know there are many people out there that have gone through much worse than I have. That’s why during this period, I wrote “Keep Pushing On”. In the song, the main lyric of the chorus says “If it doesn’t kill you, it’s only gonna make you strong”. We’ve all heard that saying before and can easily take it for granted, but there are many times over the past 7 months where I’ve had to seriously reflect on that thought. And at the end of the day, it’s got a lot of merit. I’m determined that I’ll eventually beat this…though I don’t know exactly when that will be yet. When I do though, it’ll definitely have made me a stronger person!

     In closing, I hope this will help those of you that have faced your own challenging circumstances in life. Many times, it doesn’t make sense, the timing is bad, and we are on the verge of a complete breaking point. But when life has you down, just remember one thing: “You gotta keep pushing on, keep pushing on, if it doesn’t kill you it’s only gonna make you strong.”