Sunday, June 26th I am on a plane sitting next to my best friend and duo partner, Diane, as we make our way to ClarinetFest®️ in Reno, Nevada. This will be our first gathering of the International Clarinet Association in almost three years thanks to Covid. We are hoping for a fun and drama-free time, … More On Finding Peace in Pieces
I am caught in the in-between times; the ‘bloom on the rose’ faded long ago, at 58 the passing of years leaving me not yet OLD-old, but heading in that direction with unnerving speed. My mother was right as she just about always was; time flies by so quickly. I still remember her standing in … More The In-Between
I was on a dark airplane, finally taxiing toward takeoff and Birmingham after nine hours of a layover in Detroit that wasn’t supposed to be. In a perfect world, I was scheduled to be home by 3:10pm, in plenty of time to walk Marley and settle into being back home with Dan. In my not-so-perfect … More On Appropriate F*#ks
I have reached the all-too-familiar place of emotional overwhelm here at the close of this very strange school year. I know the signs well; I feel frozen, even small, normally mundane tasks seem monumental, leaving me feeling like a deflated beach ball. My mind is scattered and it is extremely difficult to concentrate, only making … More Bubbling Over
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
It doesn’t seem possible, but we have finally reached Thanksgiving break after one of the strangest semesters in my thirty-four year teaching career. It’s strange to realize that I’m more exhausted that I typically am during a normal semester when I’m constantly on the go performing and teaching instead of teaching partially online in the … More On Refilling Empty Cups
On this beautiful fall morning, my precious dog at my side, the world is reduced to the crunching of leaves underfoot and Marley’s gentle, rhythmic, panting as we walk the cracked sidewalks of our old Southside Birmingham neighborhood. Every morning, this is the start of my day (typically along with a side of kickboxing), and … More On Walking and Riding Meditations
I walked Marley down the leaf-strewn sidewalks of our neighborhood on this fall morning listening to the music of Bach. I have been in a reflective mood lately, so many thoughts churning around inside my head, and Bach’s music never fails to calm my spinning brain and help me to focus. I feel like I’m … More When Clouds Part
We had our faculty retreat on Zoom this past Thursday, with my Chair jokingly welcoming us back from ‘spring break,’ an homage to the fact that the last time we were together we were heading into our spring break days before the world came to a screeching halt for the next five months. We began … More The Last Day
I have lost count of what day of ‘shelter at home’ this is. Everything has blurred together in a maze of worry, masks, and social isolation. I have nothing to complain about; there are people fighting on the COVID-19 frontlines, risking their lives to care for the sick and to keep society going. All I … More On Missing What Was
The View from Here 