No Comment

The poet Mary Oliver takes a morning walk every day and World says to her: “Here I am. Would you like to make a comment?” And so she does, in an impressive body of work that essentially says the same thing in many different ways, “Thank you, World. You are beautiful.”

I see this blog as my comment board, but agree with Ms. Oliver that one must get out of the house to make a comment worthy of the ink or electrons it requires. I’ve been buried for two days straight wandering through the maze of official J-1 Visa forms so three people from abroad can join the music department next Fall in our first-ever and long-dreamed of Orff Internship Program. If I had know what lay ahead with Visa requirements when I first dreamed the idea, I would have quickly shelved it as a nightmare! However, I did find one friendly and helpful person in a buffer-zone-institution that is helping me walk through it and that is helping.

But in the meantime, some lovely warm San Francisco days are slipping away from me as I chain myself to the screen. Days where a long walk or bike ride may have reaped some worthy comments. Days that I hope to re-enter after 5 pm today, when the paperwork sets off on its journey to open the door to these visitors from abroad. May it be so!

Meanwhile, all I have to report is that my 99^th reader appeared (thanks, Janet!), a glorious Family Jazz Concert with my Pentatonics band awaits me in one week, the sun is shining and the World is probably warm and beautiful, but who would know seated at the screen that knows no weather and is making me dizzy with its bright lights and convoluted Visa forms. At least I can take a break and go out with my lunch.

If I see anything worth commenting on while eating leftover quinoa salad, I’ll let you know.