I remember reading the book Wicked years ago and it immediately became one of my all-time faves (for those of you who don’t know, Wicked is the story of Elphaba and how she became the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz). So you can imagine how excited I was in 2005 when I found out the Broadway show based on the book was coming to my then-hometown of Chicago. But my elation quickly turned to devastation when I realized the show was debuting one week after I was moving to London for a year and a half. I figured the production would be gone by the time I returned home and that I had missed my chance of seeing one of my favorite stories come to life on stage.
Flash forward to 2009- Wicked is about to end its run in Chicago and I still have not seen it. Mind you, I had been busy. Soon after moving back from London, I had gotten a new job, gotten divorced, went completely raw, moved twice, started my coaching business and decided to leave the legal profession and the Midwest for good (phew, that tires me out just writing it)! Needless to say, I was not going to miss this opportunity so I went on Ticketmaster and got two tickets for the final weekend, just a few weeks before I was moving. My neighbor Z and I went and sat in the very last row of the Ford Oriental Theater.
Wow. I mean, wow!!!! Last row, schmast row- it didn’t matter where I sat, that show blew me over. Now I am typically a believer that the book is always better than the movie, but the music of Wicked took the story to a whole new level and really gave me that extra inspiration to leap into the unknown.
Now it is over a year later and lately I have been feeling like I am taking that huge leap all over again. I am living in Asheville, NC and realizing that I want to dedicate myself fully to my coaching business as it is my true passion to guide others on the path of their lives. But recently I ran into the F-word all over again…fear. Fear that I was not ready to run my own business, that I was not good enough to teach classes and host seminars, didn’t have enough marketing experience to run my own website, yadda yadda yadda. You know, that voice inside all our heads trying to protect us from the big bad unknown but really all it does is keep us stuck in the familiar.
Then I went to my beloved Zumba class last week and the instructor cooled us down to a new song…and I recognized it instantly. It was “Defying Gravity”, the show-stopper from Wicked. I am sure my fellow Zumbees were wondering why I was laughing our loud while tears were streaming down my face as we stretched our triceps but I didn’t care. I had that thrilling white energy flowing through me, causing goosebumps everywhere and letting me know it was time again to take that leap of faith into the unknown, trusting everything is working out perfectly because that’s how life is supposed to be. I have been listening to the song on YouTube incessantly sever since and the goosebumps are always there, a very good sign in my book.
So I leave you today with the lyrics from that incredible song. I invite you to not only read them, but to really meditate on their meaning for you at this time in your life. Marinade in their deliciousness and share below what they bring up for you…
Here’s to seeing you in the Western sky?
Emily
Defying Gravity
Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I’m though with playing by the rules of someone else’s game
Too late for second guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It’s time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes and leap
It’s time to try defying gravity
I think I’ll try defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye, I’m defying gravity
And you won’t bring me down
I’m though accepting limits
‘Cause someone says they’re so
Somethings I cannot change but ’til
I try I’ll never know
Too long I’ve been afraid of losing love
I guess I’ve lost
Well if that’s love it comes at
Much too high a cost
Unlimited…
My future is unlimited
And I just had a vision almost like a prophecy
I know it sounds truly crazy
And true the visions hazy
But I swear someday I’ll be flying so high
So if you care to find me
Look to the western sky
As someone told me lately
Everyone deserves the chance to fly!



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