We are climbing up a mountain, and the landscape looks like Mars. Alternately rocky and sandy, the trail requires steady feet, but our shoes slip and slide over the red dust that coats everything. Other than the odd cactus dotting the steep slopes, this is a wasteland.
“Hey, are these guys any good?” I asked, gesturing at the Peterborough Singers brochures on the counter. It was February, 2008, and I was hauling yet another load of mistreated school band instruments to B Flat Music for a little TLC.
“Oh, yes, very good!” declared Peg McCracken.
“You’ve heard them, then?” I asked skeptically.
“Heard them? I’ve sung with them for eighteen years!”
Undaunted, I pressed her further. “What kind of music do they sing?” I was not into the flaky schmaltz that so many community choirs seem to thrive on. I made that immediately and unapologetically clear.
“Well, we’re singing Bach’s St. Matthew Passion in our next concert. You should join us!”
Wait. A. Minute. Are you telling me that a place exists in Peterborough where I can go and sing exclusively Bach for two hours a week, every single week, until May? Pinch me hard; I must be dreaming.
“Start by coming to our concert this weekend. If you like it, we can set up an audition.”
I went. The moment the choir started singing, Continue reading
You may have noticed a funny little game going around on Facebook, whereby people nominate each other to share a few things for which they are thankful. The challenge is to “post three things you’re grateful for each day for seven days.”
I say, PSHAW. That’s no challenge at all. I’ve done that, week after week, year after year, since 2007, without repeating anything.*
It gets a little tricky to do that for seven years running, so I’ll modify the challenge for all of you novices out there: Can you muster up 365 consecutive days of gratitude, and post your list next Thanksgiving?
I did! So here, without further ado, is my (minimally censored) 2014 Gratitude List:
The sun came out and warmed me up
I got an extra hour outside
I made the soup yesterday
Gloria is okay
I made it to the end of this emotionally unsavoury day
And tomorrow will be different
My back yard at night, with stars and wisps of clouds. It gives me cause for deep breaths and solace.
Children who stay home to vomit… Continue reading
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