Perpetual Motion

Guys, I am so sorry that it's been such a long time since I connected with ch'all. A new quarter has begun and it is looking to be one of the best yet. I finally have time to practice!!! My scholastic requirements are manageable and I got residency in Ohio which means I no longer have to work 25-3o hours a week. In conclusion, my life just got a whole lot more productive.

Today is Henry and my 2nd anniversary. It's been a rough year in some ways, but nevertheless I think we have both grown a lot both personally and in the relationship. I appreciate the fact that we can both recognize that we're new at this and young. Still our dedication to each other and too the relationship really proves a certain amount of maturity. I am looking forward to more time together, and finding a balance between taking care of ourselves and maintaining a relationship. Yippie Skippie!

OK, so here's this idea that I've been thinking about- the idea of perpetual motion. In my lesson last week Mr. Henniss introduced me to a new exercise. I was to inhale in a relaxed fashion, exhale completely naturally, and then inhale in the same fashion and play. The idea is to keep the airway relaxed and tension-free. As I did this, Henniss commented on my tendency to inhale, exhale, then stop for a moment, and when I inhaled again there was tension in my breath. Oftentimes I would lie next to Henry as we fell asleep and listened to him breathe. His breath is much more rapid than mine, but it is always in motion. When I exhale, even in my everyday living, I pause and tense before I inhale. I am not going to say anything incredibly profound here, but for me I think about the bigger picture. Perpetual motion. Life never stops and when we attempt to stop the motion we create tension and essentially just delay an inevitability- the next breath. When we try to hold onto something for too long as the world whizzes past us, we create tension in our lives. Similarly when we try to speed things up we end up hyperventilating. A balanced and natural breath and pace in everything we do leads to maximum efficiency, productivity, and in the end creativity. We must try to find a rhythm in our lives and then keep. breathing. Harder than it freaking sounds. So, yeah. That's basically it for now- find a rhythm that reflects the rhythm of life around you. If your life is lyrical, take a breath that reflects that. If it is time for a technical passage, again take a breath that reflects that.

Conducting started. I thought I was awful at first, but now I think I might be alright. No one ever has any criticisms for me except my facial expressions. I guess the fact that there's no criticism about my actual pattern is encouraging. Look out Solti....MKH is on your heels!