james hersch

My wife works with kids with special needs. Their parents are on a path they never expected to be on, a journey they hadn’t planned for. We’ve heard them say it’s like they took off for Paris but the plane landed in Amsterdam.

In a sense, I relate to that in my career as a musician. Our culture has a pretty defined idea of someone who succeeds in the music industry. It often involves being wildly popular and entertaining, with a blaze of glory and sudden conclusions.

My career has been none of that, yet I have a great sense of succeeding with my music. I’ve been drawn into a life changing process of applying my talents to settings that have nothing to do with radio hits or concert tours. How did I get here?

We are all bound to examine our paths and ask that question. The mileposts are there but we don’t notice our changes until we are well past them. To recognize them takes the willingness to know ourselves, know our dreams and why we dream. Young careers have suitcases packed with wrong perceptions, assumptions and expectations. We won’t know what’s really important until our plane lands not in Paris, but in Amsterdam.