Last month, we passed the 6-month mark of our lives being turned upside down. While I am so very thankful to be healthy and hope you and your loved ones are too, the reality of it is still quite shocking. Looking back, as one may do on the occasion of such a milestone, the feelings are so chaotic it actually hurts. I remember how it all began… The furry, the hush, the unknown, the fleeing… What was supposed to be a “momentary interruption of our lives” and a preventative series of actions that would benefit the population’s health and wellness in the long run, IF we all united forces and followed protocol in alliance against the common enemy: COVID. Well, let’s just say several chapters were written since, none of which could have been predicted, and a lot of which were not necessarily serving a purpose for the ultimate good... I’ll have to leave politics aside otherwise this post would become a little nasty, and that’s not the point. I will say though that karma is a powerful and beautiful thing, isnt’ it?!

The point, you may ask, is that I find it quite astonishing how people’s true colors come through in times of crisis, and how good IS predominant, even though this may be something I choose to focus on.

I find it amazing to read stories about people who go out of their way to help their neighbors, who deliver home-cooked meals to people in need, who play music outside shelters and homes just because, who leave supporting notes on people’s cars, who volunteer for COVID testing sites, who make financial donations to unemployed artists, who donate their time & knowledge in sharing their passion whether it be through a class, a reading or a performance of any kind and/or uplifting, informational and encouraging remarks. The list goes on, my friend, and that’s what is beautiful.

I’ve personally been blessed by so many of you who have stepped up and showed me in so many ways the beauty of giving back. So in all of your honor (you know who you are!), I’m happy to be continuing the circle. Perhaps not as much as I’d like to yet (I’m still a little weary of in-person contacts, even fully masked) but my goal is to incorporate more and more as we go along.

Some of you may know I have re-located and re-purposed, at least for the time being. There is still music in my life, quite a bit in fact, but in a much more personal fashion: I’ve taken to practicing the bass quite intensely, reconnecting with the piano and found a new interest in guitar. I still sing, don’t you worry, but not as much for an audience these days. I realized I needed to break free from social media (well before watching “The Social Dilemma”, which I couldn’t recommend more BTW), even if that meant I’d ditch any performing outlet and miss my friends and colleagues online gigs. To tell you the truth, I’m quite ok with that. I miss the real thing and I can’t wait for it to come back but while I’m happy there ARE some opportunities for my fellow colleagues, I really can’t bring myself to perform for a computer. Call me old school, ha!

I still do follow the news (even though it sometimes makes me sick!) and in light of the recent tragic events regarding the passing of Justice Ruth Bader-Ginsburg, I wish to set an intention. RBG was not only a great inspiration for so many of us, but also a pillar of our modern democracy, a woman who’s humanity has shaped our lives, and who’s advocacy will live on every time a woman opens a new bank account, has a credit card in her name, and decides to attend a state-funded school. May her legacy live on and her last wishes be made true!

In these times of social grieving, I see an opportunity to remind each other that positivity breeds positivity and that all gestures, big and small, create an impact. Help your neighbor, offer a smile, be kind, we all need a little extra love right now! And who knows: if you’ve found yourself in a pickle, the answer might be somewhere different than where you’re used to looking. So take some time for smelling the flowers, my friend! You and your surroundings might benefit from the beauty that is life more than you thought!

Karma! And the beautiful things in life :)

Stay in touch!