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.

Free your mind

 

Happy weekend, everyone. Is it just me, or are the weeks flying by at the moment?! One minute it was Monday, I had my first yoga class in a LONG time, and then turned around to find it was Saturday. Maybe I'm just getting older!

So, without wishing to risk sounding like I'm jumping on the meditation bandwagon (hmm, those two words don't seem to fit together very well, maybe 'meditation safehaven' would be better...) I chose this week to start my meditation trial. I have always had difficulty relaxing - that is, in the true sense of the word, finding that space outside my racing mind to let my muscles release, breathe a huge sigh of relief, and not focus on either things I can't control or things that haven't happened yet. I am perfectly able to sit down quietly with a cup of tea and watch the world go by, but, like many others, my brain rarely allows me to switch off and just 'be'; I am always being, but with extras.

Hence the desire to include and welcome meditation into my life.

Being a complete novice, I followed the advice of a few friends and downloaded the 'Headspace' app, having also read Andy Puddicombe's refreshing and frank book about his experiences with meditation. I needed a low-pressure, low-expectation approach, and I have to say that I'm starting to like it already. Two days in. Who knows how I will feel after the ten-day challenge is up, but the most important aspect for me is that I've got off the starting block and found that precious ten minutes.

What were those song lyrics again? 'Free your mind, and the rest will follow'? Does that mean if your mind is free the rest of your whole self will follow, or that you can lie down and chill out, take a literal rest?! Maybe it's both..

Do you meditate? I'd love to know.

See you soon x

(Photo from AboutMeditation.com)

Exploring new ways

 

Happy weekend everyone! Today was very enlightening; new knowledge gleaned, new faces to talk to, shared laughter, plenty of tea, and lots of exercise for my writing muscles.

I attended a workshop entitled 'Writing for Magazines', led by a fabulous lady called Fiona Wright, and hosted by the wonderful Deb, at Retreats for You in Devon. Unfortunately I couldn't attend in person, so Fiona, Deb and four other lovely ladies very kindly entertained my cyber-face as I sat in my own kitchen, relying on Skype. It was almost as if I was there, minus Deb's amazing brownies and the Devonshire countryside.

I was pleasantly surprised by what I managed to achieve; I found that I had good ideas, some that I had been contemplating already but others that appeared through discussion with others, and planning; I left my doubts behind, and trusted that I could try to come up with some good stuff. Fiona was encouraging, intuitive and vibrant, with loads of exclusive tips to take away, and I learned about how to pitch, which is highly exciting for me!

By the time the workshop ended, we were all happily tired, and I'm so pleased that I signed up to do it. Isn't it true that sometimes all you need is a good nudge in the right direction, a bit of reassurance and some challenging exercises to get you moving along that path again? I think I had stopped to smell the roses and then forgotten the way..

How did you spend your Saturday? I'd love to know.

See you soon x

 

Music is freedom

 

In my life, if I had ever doubted that music is pure magic, I've had one of those days that would crush any such doubt. My heart was full to bursting when I came home from work today, and though I was exhausted, I felt a renewed joy in my passion for music.

I had a rehearsal - the first one - with a group of children, at a great youth centre in a town near where I live. The group was varied, with boys and girls of different ages, and they are all to be respected, applauded and cherished. They have a hard time every day, all with separate stories to tell, and their characters are occasionally difficult to fathom, but they are supportive of each other, fiercely loyal and eager to try new things, with a little bit of encouragement.

Some arrived full of energy, chattering and jumping about; others were quiet, almost hiding away in corners, full of nerves, and one was very angry, frustrated and stubborn. I sipped my tea and prayed that their first choir practise would be a success, and above all that they would get something out of it.

So we started to sing.

Their voices rose in the room; they were smiling, and following the words.

Then they showed what they had been working on, as individual acts for their concert, and there was singing, dancing, rapping and even some baton twirling; each person had something that they wanted to show the world, and gradually each made it onto the makeshift 'stage' to perform, tackling nerves and shyness, and bouncing off the support shown by their peers.

Hearing them singing together, a little merry band, made my heart sing. It seemed that, even momentarily, they could forget everything and just express themselves, and watching them was brilliant.

I sat down this evening feeling so proud, and happy just to be part of the work they're all doing.

Music really is pure magic.