Losing your voice (*spoiler alert*)

Last night, I watched a stunning documentary called “Val” (Prime Video) about the life and artistry of American actor Val Kilmer.

You may remember Val from movies like?Top Gun,?Willow, and playing Jim Morrison in the movie?The Doors. His documentary unveils a rich tapestry of a "life fully lived," told through the video Kilmer recorded, and archived, from his childhood days up through the height of his movie career, until today.

Kilmer’s son, Jack, narrated the documentary, as Val, now 61, is mostly inaudible. Throat cancer has caused the esteemed actor to lose his voice.

This fact frightened me.

Here’s the truth: I’ve been silencing my voice the last 6 months, or so. I felt I haven’t had anything truly profound to say, and been choosing to live life “under the radar.”

Now, although, I believe taking quiet breaks and being a ‘spiritual hermit’ are powerful tools for insight and growth, I suddenly felt a rush of anxiety, thinking: “What if I lost the ability to speak? What would I do? What would I lose?”

As my panic abated, I returned to the documentary and discovered the following lessons (*spoiler alert*):

1. After Val lost his voice, he began painting and creating art, which led him to creating/starting an artists’ community and art gallery in Los Angeles.
2. After Val lost his voice, he wrote a NY Times bestselling book,?I’m Your Huckleberry: A Memoir.
3. After Val lost his voice, he wrote his documentary,?Val, and had his son narrate it.
4. Val continues to write his musings for others to evoke, create and perform.

Lessons - Life isn’t over when we lose certain abilities. Perhaps it just intensifies the abilities we ignored or took for granted.

Have you lost your voice (literally or figuratively)? If so, what in you has intensified? If not, what do you truly want to say?