WE84: 30TH THURSDAY- THE WEEKEND ENGAGEMENT

Hey hive family, happy weekend, trust its going okay with everybody, saw the topics posted by @galenkp, music related and I thought it was something I could definitely get behind. I'd answer two questions, couldn't help myself. First one,

Tell us about a piece of music or song you love, that moves you, and makes you feel deeply. Share the link to the music if you like

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I think one song out of the thousands I absolutely love is Jess Glynn's Thursday. I am a die hard James Arthur fan and I am unrepentant but this piece of art touched me in parts of my souls that I felt was beyond reach.
Like every piece of music, I felt a connection with Thursday in a deep mature way, I might even describe it as unexplainable.
I wouldn't say I grew up in a dysfunctional family, but I had my fair share of an unhealthy dose of parent-young adult tension and lots of unhealthy relationships.

Unlike the song I was never taught or allowed to just be myself. Being an African guy and a first child, the expectations are enormous. And then there's the invisible yet preeminent limitations on your personality, what is expected, what views are acceptable, what path is best, and your imaginations are never allowed to run too wild, you're not allowed to think and dream too far.

There's been the pressure to not let my family down, and more of the pressure of letting myself down. Of not being good enough, of failing, dying unfulfilled and most importantly, of not being worthy of love.
I have felt more pressured now more than ever in this phase of transitioning into adulthood. The journey to self discovery has not been easy, It speaks to me as a young man trying to find his way in this big wide world.

Thursday helped me realized that there's lots of people out there just like me dealing with the same kinds of things.
Lots of people who do not want to live in the light of other people's expectation
Lots of people who feel trapped because they can't take their masks off and just be themselves because they fear rejection
Lots of people who are trying not to seek validation and attention from people, men who want to be loved and appreciate not for their pretty face and their bank account statement, but for their genuine flawed nature
People that want to feel connections on another level, who want to be appreciated for their uniqueness and the individual genius they possess.
People who do not want the constant pressure of making an effort, for the perfect nature, attitude.. the perfect life.
People that just want to breathe and be.

Thursday in a way helped me realized that it's okay to be lost, to let all that weight down and bath in the waters of my authenticity. That there's nothing more peaceful than living up to your own expectations, that rejection and being misunderstood is part of the process. That giving in, letting the world mold you into what you are not will not do.
Jess Glynn Thursday is a reassurance, A hug,
Thursday is a hand that pulls you out of the shell you retract into when the world makes you feel like you're not enough or you're too much
Thursday makes you feel beautiful
Jess Glynn is beautiful, and so is Thursday..

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Q2

Tell us about the most recent music or track you have began listening to and tell us why you like it, what it means to you and why.

There's been lots of dope releases in the past few months. I think lots of artistes have poured their hearts into their work and so it's been beauty back to back.

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One that I found quite extraordinary is Adele's album 30. I don't think I had anticipated such a grand reemergence but by God I was completely blown away by how much soul she put into every track.
My attachment to a song, album and artiste is mostly fueled by relatability to the content and context of the work and asides being a vocal power house, Adele is the Queen mother of all lyrical geniuses.
We all have that period in our lives where love deals us a hard blow and all we want to do is dive into the comfort of emptiness and stay there because hiding seems like the best. I felt that in the last year and I can't even begin to phantom what six years of mayhem and turmoil must've felt like for her.

Being someone that's feels deeply, loosing someone she'd invested Her love and the better part of her years in, someone who was her home and with whom she'd envisioned a forever and all of that being ripped to shreds. I often wonder if she'd seen the end coming, if she'd been paralyzed by the fear of loosing her everything or if life pulled the rug from under her feet fast and her world came tumbling down fast.
The worst thing I think she must've felt and something that every artiste at heart would be most affected by is the inability to produce your art, the mental paralyses that doesn't allow you do the things you love most.

I love the way she let all that vulnerability out, her writing about her struggle and the journey to finding help and rediscovering herself. Her appreciation for the people that stood by her and the admission of being like a child and loosing her way and like a toddler learning to walk, learning to fall in love with herself again. Her struggle with putting others above herself and being worn out.
For me this is the greatest admission of strength
It shows that suffering can the worst thing but often times with help it can birth beautiful things.
I love Adele and this album especially because these days everyone is trying to put up a façade, patching the cracks in their lives and making it camera worthy. Very few people talk about their struggles or fallibility, very few people are ready to be less than perfect.
30 has aroused much admiration in me. For her personality and I am proud to say she is one of the few people I look up to.