Cori Ashley

Cori is an award-winning composer for film, television, and the Crystal Experience workshops and retreats.

If today were my last day on Earth and I could share 500 words of brilliance with the world, here are the important things I'd want to pass along to others...

Sitting at the wrong keyboard.

There comes a time in life where we need to make a choice. We sit down one day and look at our lives and realize that while there are parts of it that are just fantastic - there is a void or a hole somewhere that inspiration, joy and ease of life used to live. For me, it was the discovery of how many hours I was sitting at the wrong keyboard.

I am a musician. A piano player pretty much since before I was born if you know what I mean.

My joy, my life lived through my piano keyboard as I went from piano lessons as a kid to celebrating a really great and successful musical career in the music industry writing for television, films, songwriting and most recently creating music to relax people's lives and fill their hearts with music and more.

In walks the business. Correction... businesses. Production companies, publishing companies, distribution companies, websites and... and... and. My philosophy in life has always been that you have to have in order to give. So we needed businesses to earn... so we could continue to offer love, care and support to those around us. The repercussion was the paperwork stacked to a height that I couldn't see out my door... and computer hours that were off the chart.

Day in day out I sat at this computer keyboard typing e-mails, responding to letters, writing articles, creating flyers, administration until I dropped! By the time my day ended robotically pushing the keys on my little electronic wonder called a Mac laptop (not to mention the rest of my life fit in between)... I had no energy or inkling to sit down at those 88 black and whites that I adored so very much.

Thus... sitting at the wrong keyboard.

This went on for months - years. A little music squeezed in between the sales, the admin, the presentations... which don't get me wrong - I loved all of that too... but it wasn't my passion. It wasn't my heart, my purpose.

The biggest shock I got was when we did a studio session one day with a well-known personality here in town. We were recording "Prelude To The Calm" - an amazing CD series that we created based upon my experience and facilitating processes from my "Self Worth For Women" workshop (a cause very near and dear to my heart). At our last session I had given her a couple of our instrumental music relaxation CD's. Upon reflection she was very moved by our music and asked who "played on the albums... good musicians..." I laughed assuming that she was joking... No joke. She was astounded to discover that it was in fact ME that was playing the piano on all of those relaxing tracks. Her impression was that I was a facilitator and one of the head honchos at our companies. No reference to music whatsoever!

I was devastated. I actually had to sit down for a moment in complete 'ugh" of this moment. How could I, the musician and music lover from pre-birth be pegged as an admin or strictly a presenter. It's not that I didn't love those other titles... but come on... MUSIC how could you not know that I was about the MUSIC!

This was truly the turning point for me. I had sat at the wrong keyboard one too many times and for one too many hours.

It was late one evening and I went to the living room where my beautiful baby grand friend sat awaiting my attention. This had been my Mother's piano... we had an inside joke that she "handed me the keys" when I was 18. I have cherished it ever since. I sat down, played one chord and began to cry. It was like a waterfall came out of me. Do you know that I sat and played for 3 hours! I went through every single classical book I could find. I wrote a song... I played every other song I could think of. And when I was done - I was beautifully exhausted. It was the most wonderful tired I had felt in years. My heart was full. My fingers just aching to play more... and most of all my spirit soared. I was home.

That piano keyboard has been my best friend since I can't even remember when. I re-visited every age straight through to the age I am now - which I wont' tell you - haha.

My learning from all of this is how easy it is to completely overlook our own hearts and passions because we have other things in life that HAVE TO GET DONE! I remember a friend of mine once said - "do the things you have to do - so that you can get to the things that you want to do". So having said this - I am going to complete this little story... close my computer keyboard... and take my fingers on a little vacation over to the piano keyboard so they can visit with my heart for a while.

Please, take a moment to remember and visit those things in your life that fill your heart. If you can't think of one... try something... anything... dance, read a book, go for a walk, watch something funny, talk to a friend, draw, listen to music... doesn't matter what it is... what matters is that your body, mind, emotions, spirit and beautiful heart will know... and thank you with joy.

Sincerely and Musically Yours...

with hugs and hope...

Cori Ashley

Music To Care For Your Life
http://www.musictocare.com/