Being in the moment

 

My friend Bryan took this photo of me in Burlington, Vermont, whilst we were on tour last year. It makes me happy; the water, the sense of space, the spontaneity of the jump, and the immediacy of the image. Capturing a moment. I know you can't see my face here, but I was grinning, and laughing. It was a beautiful day, breezy but bright, and the sun was reflecting off the water.

I was drawn to this photo today because of that moment, that snapshot. I read something that a good musician friend of mine had posted; it was an excerpt from an article by David Ackert, written for the L.A. Times, and it made sense to me:

"Musicians are some of the most driven, courageous people on the face of the earth. They deal with more day-to-day rejection in one year than most people do in a lifetime. Every day, they face the financial challenge of living a freelance lifestyle, the disrespect of people who think they should get real jobs, and their own fear that they'll never work again. Every day, they have to ignore the possibility that the vision they have dedicated their lives to is a pipe dream. With every note, they stretch themselves, emotionally and physically, risking criticism and judgment. With every passing year, many of them watch as the other people their age achieve the predictable milestones of normal life - the car, the family, the house, the nest egg. Why? Because musicians are willing to give their entire lives to a moment - to that melody, that lyric, that chord, or that interpretation that will stir the audience's soul. Musicians are beings who have tasted life's nectar in that crystal moment when they poured out their creative spirit and touched another's heart. In that instant, they were as close to magic, God, and perfection as anyone could ever be. And in their own hearts, they know that to dedicate oneself to that moment is worth a thousand lifetimes." 

How splendid, that this man has put his finger on one of the things that creative people feel, that you have to be wholly present and 'in the moment' to engage the spirit that drives you. Yes, it adds pressure, but the idea that you can make that moment count and dedicate yourself to it is an astounding thing. It makes it real, as you know that you cannot get that moment back, and in every moment you are the best you can be.