As a Special Education teacher, teaching in Title 1 schools, I taught students who were living in very dysfunctional environments and felt their dreams were a wasted effort, to only have the latter remain their reality. My former students desperately desired control over their own voices and bodies. They eagerly sought and were heavily dependent on the approval of the very same people who were dysfunctional, to be themselves and I realized in my intercactions with my former students, I too was seeking approval to be - ME.
I called up a long time friend of mine and asked, “Hey, I know its has been a long time since you’ve heard from me, but I was wondering, are you still creating/producing music?” I was too thrilled to hear when he replied, “Dina….. yeah I am”, but I was bummed when he told me he was no longer living in NYC. A few phone calls of catching up and messages back and forth, he agreed to support my efforts in putting an EP out. It was time for me to step up, walk forward and let go of all the people, places and things, I allowed to stop me from living the life, which GOD designed specifically for me. I no longer needed anyone approval to be me.