living something

In the lull of summer, I often catch myself wondering if I'm living enough of my life. I wonder if I will ever find the events that fill these days story-worthy someday. But then I remember that it's easier not to give a shit and live the way I want to. So here's what I've been up to.

I shared two houses with 18 other musicians, a dog, and a lack of air conditioning for two weeks in upstate New York. We played music all day. No, man, ALL day. No breaks. We watched documentaries about peace activists and Stravinsky. One night, a group of us sat on some old train tracks that faced the lake and contemplated the stars. The fireflies are different there.

"They remind me of camera flashes in a giant stadium."

"Makes you feel kind of special."

Somehow, I managed to get some cello students for the summer. This one girl, Katherine, blows my mind every time I see her. She's only going into 5th grade, but she plays, speaks and thinks years beyond her age. I'll stop and ask what's on her mind, and she once answered, "Well, what we're working on is a lot more challenging than what I've worked on before, but I feel like it's really good. It's what I needed." Kids are awesome.

Now, I'm sleeping in my friend's aunt's living room for an orchestra gig in Indy. Three rehearsals spread over six days means lots of chill time with fellow musicians, which means playing a Nepali singing bowl for hours, cruising to The Flaming Lips, and falling asleep mid-afternoon to banjo playing....Sounds like a story to me.