As I age and wisdom reveals itself in silvery strands of gray and memories bittersweet, I see with crinkled eyes all that the dewy innocence of youth hid from me. With each encroaching wrinkle I laugh at the dread once felt to reach this place. There is nothing to fear, only freedom as I finally … More As I Age
Tears are too often mistaken for weakness, but that is far from the truth. With each salty, glistening drop shed, strength flows from my soul. Tears are the battle cry of strong emotion, welling up to express sadness, joy, shock, and anger. I feel sad for those who don’t allow themselves the strength to bare … More Tears
This was an interesting week as I returned to campus to teach my students. With a month left of classes and juries (final playing exams for music students) and exams, I knew that my students needed more than perhaps I could give them over Zoom. Please don’t misunderstand; I am grateful to have been able … More Up the Down Staircase
I didn’t realize how much I needed spring to come after this long year of Covid where days and months passed in a blue light blur of Zoom teaching and meetings. The bleakness of winter only added to the feelings of isolation and sadness for the loss of so much life- and way of life. … More Spring Forward
I have known for a long time that I have issues with perfectionism…that is, at least trying to attain it. All the time. In everything I do. Not very realistic, I know. My issues seem to have ramped up this year for a variety of reasons, and I’ve done a lot of thinking about … More Battling My ‘Perfect’ Self
I decided to post a short story about our husky/shepherd mix rescue dog, Marley, on Facebook’s Dogspotting page. I was stunned to find that my sweet girl went viral, getting almost 13,000 likes and hundreds of comments. She deserves all of the love that comes her way- what a beautiful old soul she is. We … More Marley’s 15 Minutes of Fame
For those of you who know me, you’ll know that blue fingernail polish is pretty radical for my natural girl self (okay also MATURE girl self…at least most of the time). The reasons are many and have nothing to do with me not appreciating color. I am a clarinetist and I don’t like when nail … More On Blue Nails and Pandemics
As I walked my dog this February-almost-March morning, the birds were singing in riotous joy. Flowers poked cautious heads up toward the blue sky, trees breaking out with tiny green buds of promise, the slumbering world seeming to sigh in anticipation of the change to come. As this long winter and endless months of uncertainty … More The Birds Still Sing
I listened to a news story about pianos that had historical significance being handed down through generations of families on NPR on my long walk with Marley this morning. One of the people interviewed said that while they had the inside of the piano repaired they left the outside alone, as it bore the marks … More The Keys to Love
