24/365

I guess that some people's Saturday nights last a little longer than others! We got a chuckle out of this today at lunch. There's really not much more to say about it than that.

Here's the current scenario: Saints 28-Vikings 28. OT. Saints just won the toss. Like most, I'm enticed by the games that come down to the last minute. Especially a game like this one, where a whole season and a Super Bowl are at stake. And it gets me thinking about what that means in life. Isn't it true that the more one has to lose, the more interesting the story is? (Thanks to Donald Miller, I now look at everything in life thru the lens of a movie camera.)

I think about the journey it was for me to claim myself as an artist. For so many years, I demanded to be labeled exclusively as a "songwriter". Deep down, I knew what my gifts were. I knew my skill-set. And they leant themselves to more than just sitting in empty rooms writing. But I was a chicken. To stand up and proclaim "I want to make a record. I am an artist." scared me to the core. And I saw all that I could lose in doing so.

What are those things I could lose, you ask? PRIDE. REPUTATION. COMFORT. (just for starters.) To live in a town full of musicians means subjecting yourself to the scrutiny of their opinions. And I had to have a serious conversation with myself about which I valued more: the restlessness inside of me that God had used to get my attention OR the voices of strangers. The longer I lived here, the more people I knew in the music business, which meant the more and more opinions I had to risk. And, I am ashamed to say, that it took longer than it should have to make the right decision. But I did.

And as I watch the Saints making their way down the field at this very moment, I can't help thinking about how they've never been to a Super Bowl before. And how every play they have so much to lose. But I'm glued to the screen, because I want to see history being made. And I'm enamored with the possibility of history being made in my own life. So I'm taking notes from the Saints:

-Try to win all your games.

-Lose some.

-Get back up.

-Get better.

-Win some more.

-Kick a winning field goal.

-Make history.

I can handle that. But first, "I am Nicolle, and I am an artist. I want to make a record and sing my songs on the radio."