Simple Joys

It rained all last night, a wind-whipping storm that continued into the morning, with no let-up in sight. What to do? Why, what better time to clean my desk?  And so I did, recycling old bill receipts, past workshop contracts, flight print-outs and such. And then on to another desk piled with papers and a table with books that don’t fit on my shelves, all to the beat of the rain, sometimes vigorous, sometimes gentle.

It was a memorable moment to stand in front of some 1200 teacher colleagues from around the nation to receive a Lifetime Distinguished Service Award a couple of weeks ago. It was thrilling to bask in the applause at the end of our long-awaited Family Jazz Concert at SF Jazz in May. It was satisfying to travel to Oklahoma, Vancouver, Newark and Cincinnati to release happy music-making with hundreds of adults and children.

But it makes me just as happy—and possibly just a little bit more—to look at the clean, smooth surface of my desk and bask in the musical silence of its emptiness. Now on to re-shelving the CD’s piled up next to the piano and the music books overflowing on top of the piano. Of course, it would help if I had just one more room in our small house or a stern professional (not my wife) to tell me what to get rid of. But I’m pretty good at finding little nooks and crannies.

At least until the next rainy day comes along.