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
Today is my 59th trip around the sun. It’s actually been one of the loveliest birthdays that I can recall; gentle, peaceful, fun, and filled with love. I am reminded again and again how fortunate I am to have a wealth of wonderful folks in my life. It truly is humbling as I receive messages … More Birthdays in the Here and Now
I am curled up on the couch with Marley this Christmas Eve, Dan in his chair next to the fireplace. We’ve turned off the television and are enjoying the festive lights and relative quiet here in our Southside, Birmingham, neighborhood (other than the occasional fireworks). The comforting hiss of the gas fireplace accompanying the blessed … More Missing Pieces
I am yet again mired in one of my frozen phases, causing my ever-growing level of anxiety to go through the roof. By ‘frozen’ I mean that I cannot seem to focus or accomplish tasks that are normally ridiculously easy for any normal person to do. I feel frozen in place mentally; sometimes just writing … More On Freezing in Fall
Part of me was incredibly hopeful and excited to hear the words, “we are almost to the end of the pandemic,” as the announcement about masks from the CDC came out recently. But, the largest part of me froze in a huge earthquake of anxiety. Make no mistake; I am thrilled to move toward the … More Expanding and Contracting
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
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
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
I woke up early to a text from one of my students sent long after we’d turned in for the night. They were asking to reschedule their lesson as they were struggling with personal issues related to anxiety. This is happening more this semester than in anytime during my almost 35 years of teaching- and … More On Living with Anxiety
The View from Here 