Things Will Get Better

Even though I am blessed with the talent I have in music, I am no different from the next person. I go through trials and tribulations. I experience stress and frustration. I have had my moments of depression and self doubt. Yet I still take the time to remind myself that the struggles are only temporary, and that things will turn around for me, no matter what I may go through. Everything will be alright.

I remember when I was struggling with money back in 2006, a few months after I quit my teaching job at Concord Elementary School. I was unemployed at the time, and my debt was beginning to pile up. To help take my mind off the situations at hand, I took a trip one day to the National Arboretum in Northeast Washington, DC. If you ever get a chance to visit DC, you have to stop by the Arboretum during park hours. You would never know that such a beautiful area even exists until you visit it yourself. I spent the day riding around the park, viewing the trees, checking out the plants, and relaxing at an area set up with a manmade stone platform and four columns that originally were part of the Lincoln Memorial.

When I stopped by the columns, I rolled all the windows down, pushed my driver seat back, and put on repeat a song called “Be Alright” by Foreign Exchange. I first found out about the corresponding album “Connected” after doing a search on the Internet for independent hip-hop albums the previous year. When I finally bought it, I became an immediate fan due to how different the music was. The beats were centered on live instruments, giving it almost a “smooth jazz meets underground hip-hop” flavor. “Be Alright” became an instant favorite and was the perfect song for me to play that day since I was going through a lot in my life at the time. The lead rapper Phonte (from Little Brother) spoke on the stress and pain of going through different struggles, yet still staying strong through it all because you know everything will be alright.

I still had a lot to deal with after that day, but at least I felt better about myself and stayed focused on moving forward with my life. I’m glad I took the time to listen to the song that day.