Last Confession: Use Me! I Will Not Die an Unused Life.
My brother turned me on to a lot of musicians after the Beatles came to A starting when Dylan came to Raleigh, D worked concessions. Of course it progressed from there. One of the earlier ones was Dave Bromberg, a great musician who played with many other famous musicians from early 1960’s. He got tired of the road and travel, so he took a 20 year break while learning violin making. Recently he had an idea for a new recording, and went to his friends and asked them to use him in the best possible way. In his words: “It’s an interesting record because what I did was, I called up a bunch of people, and I asked each one of them to write a song for me, and then to produce a recording of me doing that song. Thus the title of the CD: Use Me. I had songs with Tim O’Brien, Levon Helm, John Hiatt, Dr. John, Los Lobos, Linda Ronstadt, Vince Gill and others. A lot of people actually consented to write a song for me. It was phenomenal.”
So I am saying to you all, USE ME (in the nicest possible way of course). Use all of us who have been doing aromatherapy before, use the pioneers and the vintage Aromatherapists. Write me a song and produce me, so I won’t die as Wayne Dyer says with the “song still in me.” Ask me a question and do something with it so I will not die with an unused life.
In Summary: To the Pioneers, thank you from the depths of my heart for your contribution to the world we know as aromatherapy. To the newbies: you are the force of the future. Take the torch forward. In ten years you will be up here running the organization, doing the work, presenting new research, and starting new opportunities! Take the lessons of past, educate, move us all forward.
Carry on in “co-opetition”, share the word with others; we are all in this together. Instead of competition which separates us as mine and yours, co-opetition calls us to work together, support and help each other, and unites us together. Stir up your passion of possibility, and see what your contribution may end up being. Don’t be afraid to think big, silly, or small and local and see just where your path takes you. I am proof that even the smallest, seemingly strange or crazy thought or idea can turn into a book, organization, or an aromatic contribution that helps others. Keep the faith!
“Faith: sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible.” (author unknown)
And lastly I will leave you with the advice of my guru, Paramhansa Yogananda:
“Learn to keep the perpetual smile of balanced recklessness.”