This is the most vulnerable song for me on this album. It’s just me and one guitar track, exactly as I originally wrote the song, almost as if I were playing it beside a campfire for those closest to me (which, in truth, is how all this began).

I’ve already explained in the backstory for the studio version how Restless Heart came to be. And for anyone that has bothered to read this far into the origin and heartbeat of my songs, thank you. If you’re still here, with me—let me elaborate on the depth of this song…

I have come to understand that the pain we endure in the face of trauma (be it through events, loss, or whatever else in this world breaks our hearts and leaves scars upon us), so often becomes a dominant force within our individual existence. It’s the nature of it. It manifests in our heart and mind in a way that becomes hard to escape, and often we become so attached to it that we begin to believe that it is our new reality. 

I have also come to understand that this does not have to be the case. In the trauma work that I have come to love and respect, we have led every single person that has given us an honest chance to better ground. Veterans. First Responders. Others who have endured tragic events and experiences from sexual assault to horrific accidents. Each and every one of us has the ability to rise above the effects of trauma. But it takes work. Deep work. 

And possibly the most amazing thing of all lies in the innate ability of someone who has overcome those demons to lead others through the darkness by re-purposing the generosity of their own scars. It allows for a connection and wisdom that can and should be paid forward, and the return for all involved is beyond words. I believe that it is the ultimate gift of human connection and resiliency and is truly a process of grand design. I’ve received it. I’ve shared it. I know without a doubt that it is the one thing that can truly impact the unacceptable numbers of those that take their own lives. 

There is a reality within the depth of this song for those that have been truly broken. There is also an ability to breathe again on the other side of that reality. To reach for that takes the greatest courage of all, for it means taking a stand not only for yourself—but the ones who love you. Doing so opens doors that you can’t even imagine. We are all standing by…