Tuesday nights are band rehearsal nights. Tuesdays seem to come around so fast, especially if I haven’t practiced as much as I should.
Or at all.
This week I was moving slow and arrived later than usual for me, which still means 10 minutes before we start. Anyway, I had to park further away from the door and I was slogging my way slowly there, staring at my feet, so tired, so not wanting to be there, when I happened to glance up and see a young man, still in high school, waiting patiently for me as he held the door open.
Everything inside me smiled, and I sped up, apologizing for being slow that evening.
He just laughed and said, yea, sometimes it was hard to get off the sofa. And I agreed, but added, I’m always glad to get to play once I’m here. He grinned and agreed.
And, I suppose, that’s the way it is with a lot of things. Sometimes it’s hard to get motivated, even to do things you love. But once you start you’re always glad you did.
We’re working on Peace Dancer for our June 7th concert. Turn your volume up, then listen and enjoy.
Change Is Hard 
May 23, 2024 at 11:59 am
Some days tired is the way it is. A spark of kindness goes a long way to making it better.
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May 24, 2024 at 9:12 pm
A spark of kindness makes a whole day change for the better.
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May 23, 2024 at 1:33 pm
So much of life is just getting started – that first step is always the hardest one!
Kids these days… …can be just as good or bad as kids in any other “days” in history 😉 Sounds like that was one of the good ones 🙂
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May 24, 2024 at 9:12 pm
Yes he is. Actually any kid who wants to play music with a bunch of old folks is a good kid.
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May 24, 2024 at 11:25 pm
Good point.
On a different subject, I am about half way through my first major astrophotography shoot. I won’t be able to stack the photos for a week, but…
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May 24, 2024 at 11:45 pm
exciting! Look forward to seeing it!
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May 25, 2024 at 12:08 am
Just kicked off 25 40 second dark frames – almost done… I can’t wait to see the results – I am happy with how a single frame looks on the back of the camera, so hoping for the best. Oh well, it will be a long week.
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May 23, 2024 at 1:58 pm
Very true, Dawn. Good thing we have dogs to get us out of bed and out of the house, isn’t it?
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May 24, 2024 at 9:13 pm
Isn’t that the truth!
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May 24, 2024 at 8:44 am
Listening now! Willingness is key, sometimes I have to work for simply willing to be willing to be willing, and that can be just that crack in the door. My mind tells me I’m never motivated ha
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May 24, 2024 at 9:13 pm
Hope you liked the piece. It’s not easy and will require a bit of work. I know what you mean about willing..
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May 25, 2024 at 10:56 am
We’re practicing on Tuesday evenings, too! Of course our summers are more filled with patriotic themes, movie tunes, rock and roll favorites, big band stuff, etc. Peace Dancer sounds challenging, but pretty. We couldn’t work up something like that during the summers because we practice each Tuesday and have a concert each Thursday!
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May 25, 2024 at 2:50 pm
That’s a big commitment, to have a concert every Thursday! Are they outside? Yes, Peace Dancer is taking some work. You’d think it wouldn’t be that difficult, it’s a lot of long notes…but nothing is intuitive in it, you have to count and almost every measure is in a different meter.
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May 25, 2024 at 2:55 pm
Yes, our concerts are outside, weather permitting. People bring lawn chairs or sit on the tiered stone steps in the park; kids play on the swings; dogs lie at their owners’ feet. It’s rustic, but wonderful.
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May 25, 2024 at 2:58 pm
I love doing outside concerts. Love attending them too.
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May 25, 2024 at 6:48 pm
That’s a pretty piece Dawn. What instrument do you play? I arrived late to your blog and I’m sure most followers know. I played accordion as a youngster in Canada. I took lessons for three years and we played some recitals, mostly for senior citizens in rest homes. When we moved to the U.S. my parents could not find anyone who gave accordion lessons, so the instrument has been in the basement now for 58 years.
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May 25, 2024 at 8:40 pm
I play clarinet, have since I was 10. There were some years after high school I didn’t play, many years…but I’ve been playing with a community band now off and on for about 30 years.
My mom played accordion some when I was real little I kind of remember, and there’s a picture of her playing before she had kids. She also played violin and piano and ukulele. She was a music major in college, so I guess she learned to play lots more too, but I don’t remember seeing her play anything else.
You might find a private instructor now, if the instrument still works.
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May 25, 2024 at 9:54 pm
Thank you – that’s a long time playing in a community band. A high school friend of mine played clarinet in high school, then at Wayne State University and U of M. She no longer plays and lives in North Carolina now. I would doubt the accordion still works to be honest, although the case is packed with silicone bags and the basement is finished. My father was German – perhaps he thought I’d like to be in an oompah band. 🙂
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May 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
Getting started sure can be the hardest part. Sometimes, it’s not even clear what the hold up is; I suspect that a lot of so-called writers’ block falls into that category. It’s not so much a block as a simple unwillingness to put the first word on the page. Once that’s done, the next ones come more easily.
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May 28, 2024 at 9:12 am
Usually when you “go reluctantly” so to speak, you end up having the best time.
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