The atmosphere around here is definitely autumnal. My children started school. My house smells of apples. The air is crisp and bright and full of promise.
Full of promise and full of reflection. This is my new year, which means I look back a little and forward a lot.
The last rotation of this pretty blue world around the sun brought a year of strengthening, learning, grace and humility. Illness does that, and thankfully recovery retains it. The last couple of years have held many beginnings – notably the incredible reality of Guitar Mama Showcase, the Brotherhood of Strings, and my acoustic duo, hummingBird. More community built around sound; deep and strong because of that foundation.
What I’m finding out in tangible ways is that community built around music is solid. I love that the people who are gathering under the Whistling Duck Music banner are meeting each other for the first time, or getting to know each other after years of passing casually at the grocery store. These connections built around communal sound-making can have a tremendous impact in both short and long-terms.
Looking ahead, I am excited for where those projects will go and, as ever, I am giddy about the new choir year. It’s going to be great! As I do every year at this time, I encourage you to try something new and don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself on the journey. Laughter is important.
But so is silence. And this morning with my children safely dispatched to their respective institutions of learning, I have silence for the first time in two (plus) months. I shall pour a cup of coffee, tend my house, and plan….
