Fifty Days Underground

February 27, 2014

Who inspired today's broken heart song?

A woman who has cerebral palsy. She is actually a very dear and close friend of mine so I felt more pressure than usual to make this song as accurate and wonderful as possible. Her heartbreak is not her disability, but rather that it will get in the way of having the one thing she wants more than anything else: love. She is loved by many, and exudes love to everyone around her, but she has never experienced romantic love. However, she is very familiar with unrequited love.

Okay, I'm going to have a best friend show off moment. I once asked her if she would change having her disability and she said no. Why? Because she wouldn't be the person she is today, and she believes she's meant to use it to help others. This woman is one of the most inspiring persons in my life, and I can honestly say I would not be where I am today without her support, wisdom and belief in me. She is also an extremely talented writer. Check out her poetry.

Not having a disability, it's impossible for me to understand everything this woman has been through, making it difficult to write this song. But before my last relationship, I had never experienced romantic love either so I tried to take myself back to that time. And I just used the echoes of her beautiful stories and words in my head that I've heard from the many years that I've known her. This song cries for love and this song holds on to the hope for love.

Where did you play?

Bryant Park – 42nd St.

How much did you earn?

$8.05

Did anything unusual happen?

Bryant Park was an interesting station to play at. I'm actually not sure I'll play there again. I'm not sure if it was because I was sick and lacking my usual energy, or if it was just the wrong station for me to be playing at, but I didn't get the usual excitement from people about the project as I'm used to.

I actually ended up trying three different areas. The ideal spot, the tunnel connecting the BDFM lines to the 7 line, was already taken by a bongo drummer. Oddly enough, I had a dream that would happen last night. So I started near the exit where crowds of people were walking. When it got quiet, I moved to the end of the tunnel near the 7 train. And then without much luck there, I played on the downtown BDFM platform.

There was one woman who seemed excited and took a photo of me. I also passed out a few cards. I got a few stink eyes, but smiled at them which usually (not always) makes them smile back.

There was one man who was interested in having me write a song for his company. He started singing it to me, and said he imagined it to sound like a song from Annie. Not sure if I can pull that off!

There was another man with long, grey curly hair who dropped a dollar in my keyboard case. I told him we had matching hair, haha. When I gave him a card and explained what I was doing, he seemed really touched. I started singing as he was walking away. He turned around, put his hand over his heart and smiled.

Did you meet anyone interesting?

There was a man named Matt who hung around for a bit. He was intrigued by both me and my project, haha. He was asking me what inspired it, and when the word breakup came up, he had some funny and flattering comments like, "Who would ever break up with you?" "But I don't get it, you're the whole package." "But you're heart!" "What more could anyone be looking for?" It's hilarious because he doesn't know me at all, but I'll take it while I work on building my confidence back to where it used to be.

I met another interesting man named Jonah. He said he used to work at a gym and write songs for every new member. He said by the end of their first workout, he would have a song for them. Oddly similar to what I'm doing with my project. We talked about the possibility of collaborating and he left saying, "Thank you. You've just inspired me." Mission accomplished.

I met a really sweet woman named Jessica. She was curious about the project, and was really inspired by it. She said after her breakup, she joined a free hugs group and now and then, she'll give free hugs to people. Of course, she didn't leave without giving me a hug. I like hugs.

What's the best advice you received from a stranger?

No advice today. Instead, some fun facts:

I accidentally started playing next to a guy handing out newspapers. He didn't seem too happy about that.

For a solid half hour, there was an elder Asian woman napping on a bench next to me and an old man digging through the trash can next to her.

For some peculiar reason, nothing intimidates me more than a crowd of middle school or high school kids walking by. *shudders*

How are you feeling?

Unfortunately, still a little bit sick but not as bad as yesterday. As a result, I'm not too happy with the recording of today's song so I think I'll redo the video once I'm better. Otherwise, no complaints! I've already written tomorrow's song so there's no excuse for me not to sleep tonight. Tomorrow's story is intense so be sure not to miss it!

On a more non-related music topic, I really miss working out. I feel like it's something I've been having trouble keeping up with these days but I am craving it immensely. Maybe I'll have to start doing fifty jogs underground, haha. I'll stop now before I go off into a ramble that is completely irrelevant and not insightful. Half of my brain is here, and the other half is already tucked in bed, fast asleep. See you tomorrow, precious ones!

© 2014 Kelly Bazely