The Symphony of Life

I have been experiencing same rather strange life activity lately.  Even stranger is how it all looks to coincide and work together.  Inexplicably, certain people and projects are going away and coming to a halt, while others are showing up and taking off.  None of it seems to make sense, but it somehow all appears to mesh.

In trying to make sense of this phenomena, the metaphor of a symphonic orchestra came to mind. Each individual musician plays his instrument.  There are a number of artists who play the same kind of instrument and all do so together.  Similar types of instruments support each other in groups - for example you have the horn section, the strings, percussion, etc.  Parts have been lovingly crafted for each instrument by the composer who gave birth to the symphony.

As directed by a conductor, the entire orchestra plays together to create beautiful, soul-ascending music.  Let me reiterate.... all the musicians play together... at the same time.  A symphony is not a series of solos, each musician doing his bit, showcasing his personal talent with a performance he has honed to perfection on his own.  

The idea of all of these individual elements sounding off at the same time should signal chaos and aural disaster... yet it just does the opposite.  It epitomizes the concept of harmony.  And that is because there is a design, a structure, a plan, laid out on sheet music by the composer and brought to life by the conductor whose job it is to ensure all the disperate elements of the score work together, each doing their part, each having their turn to shine in the melodic phases of crescendo and diminuendo.

There are only 7 basic musical notes... but think of what just those 7 can do!  They can soothe the savage beast. They can stir emotions and bring back memories in a way that few other things can.  Such is the power of music.

More important, such is the power of working together..... to offer up our painstakingly practiced abilities to a project bigger than ourselves.  That is when our life becomes more than just a pleasant little musical ditty... it becomes a rich, complex, full-bodied symphony.

With that in mind, I will do my best to keep perfecting my craft, trusting that whether I know what lies ahead, what glorious music awaits on the next page of sheet music, that it has all been arranged in advance and done so beautifully.  I trust the composer and conductor of my life to ensure that I will play seamlessly with my fellow musicians, and that together we will create the unspeakably exquisite music of the one song .... the Uni-Verse.

harmoniously yours....

Says Who? Says Pooh!

My favorite poem from my favorite childhood book has been flitting about my noggin for days on end.  And so I share the sweet innocence and timeless wisdom of A.A. Milne's Now We Are Six

Us Two 

Wherever I am, there's always Pooh,
There's always Pooh and Me.
Whatever I do, he wants to do,
"Where are you going today?" says Pooh:
"Well, that's very odd 'cos I was too.
Let's go together," says Pooh, says he.
"Let's go together," says Pooh.

"What's twice eleven?" I said to Pooh.
("Twice what?" said Pooh to Me.)
"I think it ought to be twenty-two."
"Just what I think myself," said Pooh.
"It wasn't an easy sum to do,
But that's what it is," said Pooh, said he.
"That's what it is," said Pooh.

"Let's look for dragons," I said to Pooh.
"Yes, let's," said Pooh to Me.
We crossed the river and found a few-
"Yes, those are dragons all right," said Pooh.
"As soon as I saw their beaks I knew.
That's what they are," said Pooh, said he.
"That's what they are," said Pooh.

"Let's frighten the dragons," I said to Pooh.
"That's right," said Pooh to Me.
"I'm not afraid," I said to Pooh,
And I held his paw and I shouted "Shoo!
Silly old dragons!"- and off they flew.

"I wasn't afraid," said Pooh, said he,
"I'm never afraid with you."

So wherever I am, there's always Pooh,
There's always Pooh and Me.
"What would I do?" I said to Pooh,
"If it wasn't for you," and Pooh said: "True,
It isn't much fun for One, but Two,
Can stick together, says Pooh, says he. "That's how it is," says Pooh.