Read this somewhere recently and thought it was kinda neat: We can only hold joy as deep as our sorrow has carved us. And then I got to thinking about it. The thinking ruined it, but let’s go there anyway. Like anything, the statement is not 100% accurate. Some people refuse to feel joy because … Read more
Yesterday, The Kid had his last track meet of the season. Because it’s hot here now, the meet started at 7 instead of 8. Call time remains an hour before the meet starts. Yesterday’s meet was just over half an hour’s drive from here. I was up at 4:30. Early morning temps were nice, but … Read more
I was listening to a podcast with Norah Jones. At the end, she sang two songs. Now, to be honest with you, I rarely focus much on lyrics when I’m listening to a song for the first time (or most of the time). I have a lot of trouble understanding the words (partially due to … Read more
I go through waves of being content with what I have and wanting to buy lots of stuff. I’m currently wanting to buy stuff. I like to read books, and I prefer them on paper, but a Kindle would be simpler for travel. Should I buy a Kindle? It would be nicer on my eyes … Read more
In my elementary band classes, I’ve spent a fair amount of energy this year on a few non-musical topics: grit (a focus of my whole team), self-awareness, and emotional safety. Grit is a topic for another day. Self-awareness is necessary for any of this to be useful. You can’t change a thought or behavior that … Read more
For my first marriage, we were married in a church by a priest—one of the most thoughtful people I’ve ever met. In our meeting with him, he asked us, “What do you want guests to get out of your wedding ceremony?” What? This was a question I had never thought of, had never heard anyone … Read more
The other day, I wrote about contributing to my school community. Another great thing happened in that little piece of the day. I’ve been struggling with many of my classes. Without getting into too many details, my classes are not your typical elementary band classes, because that approach hasn’t worked with the populations I teach. … Read more
The sunsets in Arizona are pretty consistently amazing. When I lived back east, there was occasionally a sunset that really made you stop and just take it in, but here, it happens regularly. Almost daily. After living here for almost 16 years, I’ve not tired of it. I’m sure the photo I used for this … Read more
We put in some fruit trees about a month ago. They were mostly bare at the time but are starting to flower, grow leaves, grow branches. The growth is wonderful! So much joy in the greens and pinks! So much hope for fresh fruit straight from the back yard! (So many exclamation points!) It seems … Read more
Some days, I sit down to write and I write and write and will get out three or four or five posts in a sitting and have to decide which I’m the most anxious to get out to you first. Some days, I sit down to write and I write and write and am not … Read more