In January, John Mayer got back in the singing game after he was forced to take 10 months off to treat a nagging granuloma on his vocal cords that just wouldn't go away.
But that pesky granuloma—which grew worse because of his longtime struggle with acid-reflux—gave Mayer a whole new perspective on things, which he explained to Billboard magazine.
"I was forced to type on my iPad to communicate anything," Mayer says. "It wasn't liberating. Is breaking your leg liberating? No. All complexity is gone when you don't have a choice."
"We got to a point where we thought we were out of the woods, and then it came raging back," Mayer continued. "I felt I needed to take six months off, just to regain my sanity, really."
And it didn't help that Mayer was often caught in the middle of controversy, but he understood that and said, "You're not going to write a blog that's going to change people's minds a month after you've really made a mess of yourself."
Once music was possible and back in the picture again, Mayer found himself feeling blessed and preparing for another tour.
"As I looked up at the sky, I was planning this tour in my mind—I couldn't have done that when it was unforeseen when and if it was going to happen," he told the mag.
"The greatest gift I now have in my life is the opportunity to play again, which is also the opportunity to dream again. My dreams were in escrow, but when I found out this thing in my throat had receded, the most exciting thing for me was having a second chance at a new life. My dreams have come true twice. That's really cool."
Go to Billboard.com to watch John Mayer's Google+ Hangout at tonight at 5:30 p.m. PT for more info on his upcoming tour.