Hello to my many [sic] followers... I met this woman when she came through our town (Ithaca) and because the venue absolutely sucked - a cavernous bar - there were only a few people present. I myself have been nearly housebound for 18 years with a broken back - i have 18 shattered vertebrae, which leaves me somewhat immobile and definitely in pain... but not so much that I can't work or enjoy my women (but that's another story for another time)...

Here is one of her blogs:

violinscratches.com/2018/05/11/on-mental-health-remember-you-are-loved

and here she is performing:

her songs are astonishingly beautiful as is she. of all the people I have met and spent time with - including His Holiness the Dalai Lama - Gaelynn's attitude is flat out amazing. She hides nothing, and embraces life in a way that is very... grounding.

Oddly enough or not, one of the effects of my illness (I have a cannibal virus eating my bones) is that I flat don't care what people think, and I go directly for what I am inspired by - and simply drop all the stuff that amounts to stalling for time or giving in to fears of being different or shame. Spending time with Gaelynn was and is a bonding experience. Even tho I'm not in a wheelchair, and you might mistake me for a slightly drunk old geezer when I'm merely displaying my absolute lack of balance, folk who spend time with me come to see just how limited I am. At the same time I realized somewhere along the line that there are disabled people everywhere, and thus travel and hanging out at concerts or on mountaintops was not out of reach - it just requires a good deal more planning and the companionship of a couple of very aware friends. Fortunately one of those friends is my wife, and even more fortunately she is (usually) delighted to share our adventures and travels with another person. We have chosen unwisely a couple of times, but we have that sorted for now....

so my message to you who read this: 1. read what this woman has to say, it may actually change your life. 2. live free of shame and fear--including the fear of insolvency due to pursuing a weird career (so long as you really can do what you think you can do that is)--and for all the gods and goddess' sake don't fucking waste time!! it is the most precious and irretrievable commodity you have, and pissing it away (sometimes literally) on a cycle of working a crappy job and drinking your paycheck is utterly stupid. Either you will be wealthy or poor in life, and your own abilities mean fuck-all regarding your fate. If you are meant to be wealthy, wealth will come, if not, then not. But even as there are disabled people everywhere so also there are poor folk. Being poor is nothing to be ashamed of (I have been seriously poor for years on end, but that abruptly altered due to a medical settlement)--but while I was poor i managed to get my ass to England, Scotland, France, Alaska, Costa Rica and India. ... so... do what you know you should be doing and follow the thread of authenticity. it will not make you happier, but by gods it will make your life a life worth living and sharing.