When I think of the word “unfurling,” I think of ferns. I see this image in my head of a forest floor, with the warm streaks of sunlight barely reaching the ferns scattered all around. I think of the times I’ve seen the nature documentaries that have included the time-lapse of ferns. There are also the leaves on pothos plants that are fun to watch as they grow. Either way, they are all a reminder of life with their beautiful shades of green.

I also think of storm clouds and how they seem to unfurl up into the sky as their fury builds. Being in an airplane, looking down on these clouds, is certainly an experience. You get to watch the billowing firsthand, almost as if they are reaching for you.

It never ceases to amaze me how much we resemble all things in nature. I think because of our busy lives and modern technologies, we forget that we too are nature itself.

We need the right environment to grow. We need the right environment to unfurl.

When we are young, it seems a lot easier to take chances and do silly things. For instance, since I was probably three years old, I’ve loved to sing. You all remember I grew up in South GA, right? Well, you can bet I sang “Fancy” with all my might more times than I can count. My high school days were filled with singing all things Sarah McLachlan, and my early college days were filled with singing Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, and Avril Lavigne. I never said it was good, I just said I did it. 🙂

There was this window of time when I got as close to being in a band as I’d ever get though. My childhood friend, Shaun Hopper, had a band and I started taking promo photos for them. One day, he gave me a burned CD and told me I should sing “Zombie” by The Cranberries with them. I felt way out of my league with that, but I was young, so I said yes.

Turned out to be the highlight of my singing world.

I sang my little cover song at several of their shows in GA and FL, and every time I’d make it all the way through, I’d always be in awe that I didn’t pass out. Eventually, I began to love that feeling of having that music surround me, coming through the floor through my feet, and having the crowd seemingly enjoy it. I wouldn’t trade those memories for anything. So, thanks for the memories, guys.

Then, I moved to Atlanta and started college. I worked and I gave every second of my time to school so I could actually finish. I’d already attempted college three times prior. It was time.

If you’ve been following along here, you know I obviously stopped singing. Even though the band moved to Atlanta at the same time I did (that actually initiated my moving), it wasn’t long before they unfortunately were no longer a band.

Sometimes in life, especially the older we get, the more the things we love doing the most seem like a silly thing to waste our time thinking about. We have adulting to deal with, and we all know that does not leave room for much. We tend to give ourselves the scraps of whatever is left at the end of each day…the end of each week.

Well, again, if you’ve read any of the previous posts here, then you know that last summer was a wakeup call for me to live again.

Thanks to one of my sweet friends…I sang on a stage again a few weeks ago…for the first time since 2006.

I did not have “my band” around me. I didn’t sing “Zombie.” Ha! I didn’t even have a cord on my microphone (to which I thought, “Oh no! What do I do with my other hand while I stand there all nervous?”

I did, however, sing. I figured karaoke was the least amount of pressure for reopening that door. No one cares if you are good or not. If you’re lucky, you go late enough that people are too drunk to notice.

So, if you’re like me and you’ve let go of a hobby you loved, maybe it is your time to unfurl.

~Alisha