Time is a gift.  It is also something that never slows down for us to catch up to.  I spent most of my life looking back at my past, and constantly worried about my future.  But now that I live mostly in the present, I see time as a beautiful gift, that I get to live in every day. 

The number one thing that kept me in the past and the future was fear. When I learned that procrastination was but a coping mechanism and had nothing to do with laziness, my perception changed and then so did my habits. 

I was blessed to be at my Father’s side while he was dying of kidney failure, and heard him say, “Roxanne, don’t be afraid, it’s a waste of time”. My Father, Bertram Boldon, was an English and music teacher in the public-school system for 37 years, but at his core, he was always a musician.  

My Father had the good fortune of spending time with another musician during his dialysis treatments, Dexter Johnston.  A 65year-old husband and father who had to leave his job and way of life, to focus on his health.  Dialysis is a treatment (four-hour session) of cleaning the blood of patients whose kidneys no longer function, and this is how Dexter will live for the rest of his natural life. 

For most people that would be the end of the story, but not for Dexter.  Dexter decided to pick up his saxophone since he felt there really was nothing else he could do at the time.  His faith in God gave him the strength to prioritize what really mattered in his life.  He had always wanted to be a full-time musician, but he pushed that dream aside because he was a man who had responsibilities; he worked hard to support his family and played music as a hobby. 

Since Dexter has been going to dialysis three times a week for the last three years, he has become a skilled musician, balancing his energy between dialysis, home life and performances.  He has learned how to prioritize the love for his wife, his children (and 4 grandchildren) and his purpose of performing wonderful music through his instrument. This year Dexter has played 53 gigs and gives thanks every day to God for his new life.  He is the most positive person I have ever met. Dexter inspires me to sing and play the piano every day.

During this Holiday Season, I would like to remind you that you get a gift ready for you fresh and new every morning. You don’t even have to do anything for it, as it is always there waiting for you… The Gift of Time! Keep on

Singing, Roxanne Goodman The Confidence Booster December 2024