As a beginning band teacher, I often heard people say that my students didn’t need instruments of good quality because the kids didn’t know how to play anyway. That’s exactly why they need good quality. Because they don’t know what they’re doing, they have no skills to compensate for deficiencies in the instrument. They don’t … Read more
I recently read a short piece about moving through life and healing, changing, growing as you go, and just because you’ve changed doesn’t mean others owe it to you to be part of your life again. This stirred up a variety of thoughts and emotions, primarily: I’m deeply sad about this from one perspective and … Read more
My conversation with Debra on Ordinary Chaos, included some talk about child sex trafficking or the sex slave trade. Between that and some statistics she gave on domestic violence, I felt it appropriate to put a warning at the beginning of the episode and also to mark it explicit in my podcast hosting service. Many … Read more
Taking a tangent from Tuesday’s thoughts on self-care and self-awareness for improved creativity and brain flow. One way (and a variation) to help give yourself a bit of motivation to do something: Have a conversation with your future self. No shame in having it out loud…probably. What can you do today that your future self … Read more
During his interview for Ordinary Chaos, Keith talked at one point about what he does if he’s feeling creatively stuck. (Sept 14 episode) He looks at the rest of his life. Has he been eating well? Sleeping? Not drinking too much alcohol? A feeling of stuck-ness in creativity is an indicator for him that something … Read more
Recently, I watched a short video series by Seth Godin where he asserted we make too many decisions badly because we can’t let go of sunk costs. He argues that we should see where we are and what we have (both physical and in the way of knowledge) as gifts from our past selves and … Read more
A blank page in front of me for writing, whether I’m writing by hand or typing, is rarely intimidating. There’s more in my head than I can get down on paper, and unless other things are hijacking my brain, writing comes easily. (And if there are other things hijacking my brain, writing about those often … Read more
The big news recently has been about Simone Biles’ decision to pull out of the team gymnastics final. I’ve had the opportunity to read several thoughtful pieces written by people in support of Biles’ decision, and I’ve learned a lot. I had no issue with her decision without knowing the things I’ve learned. She knows … Read more
Yesterday would have been my friend Michelle’s 45th birthday, if cancer hadn’t taken her when she was 38. Yesterday, a friend had a memorial service across the country for her mom who died of cancer earlier this year. They were both from the same state which made their coinciding date stick out to me more … Read more
In college, I had a repetitive stress injury that prevented me from playing my flute. A year later, an ear infection caused me to go deaf in my right ear. In addition to seeing medical doctors, I went to see a therapist. At the time, my relationship with my family was a mess. No one … Read more