Monday, January 11, 2010

Go With the Flow

Tonight is officially the end of my teaching break, and tomorrow morning I head back up to begin the Winter semester.  I am so incredibly grateful to the calendar and the Gods of Scheduling to have had this last week.  Public schools started last week, but most colleges didn't start until today. I can't imagine having New Years on a Friday and starting the college-go-round on the following Monday.  These past seven days were golden.



When I say goodbye to my students at the end of the semester, or for spring break, or even the long weekend they get in October, they all come back and ask me "how was your break?"  It's a sweet idea, but my answer (aside from that the break was "good") is that I am really not "on vacation" during that time.  During spring and fall break, my break consists of one job instead of two, and a blessed absence from the twice weekly hour commute.  Christmas break is a bit longer, but unlike my students (whom I tell to go home, have someone do their laundry and make you a PIE), a musicians life (not to mention a parent's life) is pretty insane during the month of December.  The goal is to make it to the 25th in one piece.  Then the goal is to make it to the East Coast to visit family in one piece.  Then the goal is to make it home in one piece.  Ditto New Year's Eve (AKA "Amateur Night") and before you know it, it's time to go back again.



But I'm ready, I think.  I wasn't ready last night, as I woke up at 3:30, and 4:30 and 5:30 with a severe case of monkey mind, worries about teaching in 48 hours, and fears that I was going to oversleep.  Today, although tired, I feel ready to go.  It always takes a week or so for students and schedules to shake out.  Then comes the fun of picking music, preparing students and another 13 fabulous weeks of singing.  This winter and spring I've got a Carmina Burana to sing (I've lost count which performance number this is), and a Beethoven's Ninth, which amazingly, I have never sung before.  (I KNOW!?!!)  TeenTuna has a plenty busy calendar in her own right, and when I'm not teaching my college kids, I'll be coaching her, accompanying her, or listening to her one way or another.  As is always the case in our house, we shan't be lacking for things to do.




Here's to hoping the next four months go as smoothly and as calmly as possible, and if not, I hope and pray that I do a credible job faking it.  It's so much easier when you learn to go with the flow.  Ohmmmmmmmmmmm...........

Ready.....set.....GO!
Well, tomorrow.

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