Written by Pat Cluett and submitted for publication in June of 2019

From Now On from The Greatest Showman soundtrack

I saw the sun begin to dim
And felt that winter wind
Blow cold
A man learns who is there for him
When the glitter fades and the walls won’t hold
‘Cause from then, rubble
One remains
Can only be what’s true
If all was lost
Is more I gain
‘Cause it led me back
To you

From now on
These eyes will not be blinded by the lights
From now on
What’s waited till tomorrow starts tonight
Tonight
Let this promise in me start
Like an anthem in my heart
From now on
From now on

I drank champagne with kings and queens
The politicians praised my name
But those are someone else’s dreams
The pitfalls of the man I became
For years and years
I chased their cheers
The crazy speed of always needing more
But when I stop
And see you here
I remember who all this was for

And from now on
… Repeat chorus

I watched The Greatest Showman with our daughter late last year. When we heard this song for the first time watching that night, we both cried. 

This song spoke to me and I could literally picture myself 6 years ago when I made the decision to stop chasing and start listening to my heart. It took me a long time to get there … to finally start prioritizing those things that were most important … my children … my husband … my parents … my health. 

Up until that point, I had really let my career kind of take over my life. I had put 120% into my job for so many years leaving very little of myself left for anyone or anything else. Our daughter was already 5 years old and our son was turning 13. I was 44 and exhausted much of the time. I would go to bed when our daughter went to bed and was finding it more and more difficult to keep up with my younger friends. I dragged myself into the office each day and being an eternal optimist kept telling myself that I could make it work and refusing to be defeated by the toxic environment.  

A few things transpired over the next few weeks and I found myself sitting in front of my Manager and telling him that I was done. He made a few calls and they handed me my walking papers the next day. That experience solidified my resolve to make a significant change. 

Over the next several weeks, I was determined to find the right employer for me not the highest bidder for my talents. I wanted something closer to home and was not willing to sacrifice flexibility. I ended up in a place where I was able to reconnect with Audrey Hlembizky and I know that this was no accident. We were brought together for a reason.

From then on, like the song, I will always remember who all this is for and am determined to leave behind a legacy of love. I want to set an example for our children of service to the world. These eyes will not be blinded by the light.