Yeah, that is how my day started. I tuned into tennisTV channel to watch Federer frame a few shots, and magically escape from the brink against Tomas Berdych and reach the semifinals in Toronto Masters. This creates a fascinating semifinal setup with Nadal against Murray and Federer playing Djokovic. Do I dare to hope for a Fedal?
Then I got a tip about a singer named Melody Gardot and I of course had to Youtube her. Her singing is jazzy, reminds me of Jeff Buckley at times and Random Jazz Legend (Judy Garland comes to mind) at other times and she captivates you with her soft, yet deep and dark voice.
What is equally striking is her background. In a biking accident she suffered serious head and spinal injuries and her pelvis was broken in two places. Gardot had to stay on her back in a hospital for a year and had to re-learn almost all the simple things she knew, like walking or brushing her teeth. Her neural injuries made her hyper-sensitive to light and sound and requires her to wear dark sunglasses at all times to protect her eyes. She also has problems with her memory and sense of time. She has described dealing with the accident as “climbing Mount Everest every day”. But through this horrible accident she used music as therapy and started writing her own songs and thank our lucky stars for that.
I usually say there is never a bad thing that doesn’t bring something good with it and if the disaster almost ruined Gardots life, it did create something lasting and fantastic for many, many people. I hope she understands what joy she brings through her work.
Here is If the Stars Were Mine