The Connected Middle

The above title is in-between the “enticing beginning” and “satisfying ending” that describes a piece of music, a well-wrought novel, a class well-taught and/or a life well lived. It’s the part of the music or the story or a life where the themes are bubbling merrily along, intertwining, singing back and forth to each other, occasionally dancing together. It’s that state of “flow,” of being “in the zone.”

 

On paper, the idea of teaching kids for five days in a row, adults on the 5^th night and then the 6^th day, one day of rest, then five more days with the kids culminating in a big performance, drive across town that night and wake up the next morning to a new group of 41 teachers to teach all day Saturday and Sunday— well, it seemed like I was pushing the limits of being carried by my love and passion for this work. Especially when preceded by five full days of teaching in Australia.

 

And not done yet! Now in the airport en-route to Macau, with three more days of kids and adults ahead.  In short, come Thursday when I board a flight home, I will have taught 19 out of 22 days to some 35 different groups of kids and four different groups of adults. Does it sound like I’m bragging a bit here? Probably. And I’m sure there’s an element of a bit too much pride mixed with astonishment that I can actually do this. And as these posts testify, there was more than one moment when I sincerely doubted I could, lamed by ill-health. 

 

But miraculously, all dizzy/ear problems are gone at the moment and some chronic lower back pain also disappeared and I’m so thankfully feeling in the peak of health. And so these last two days with a whole new group of Taiwan teachers has simply been wonderful. Rather than craving rest, I’m feeling fully in that zone and no problem just jumping in. And though the details are too boring for anyone who is not an Orff teacher, the way I organically connected some fresh material in these past couple of days felt like I’m reaching new levels of weaving all the strands together in a multi-colored dreamcoat worthy of Joseph. 

 

I know it won’t always be so and though at the moment it’s hard to imagine a moment coming in the middle of a workshop when I think, “I’m tired. This isn’t fun anymore. I think I’ve had enough,” perhaps it will come. Or not. I’ve probably had fantasies of my own “satisfying end” being in my home bed surrounded my loved ones, but it could just as well be gleefully chanting the ending of Boom Chick a Boom: “Uh-huh! All right! Oh yeah! That’s all!” to a group of people at a workshop or a class of kids and then falling to the floor with a great smile on my face.

 

But meanwhile, I’m sticking with the present happiness of the connected middle and see if it keeps flowing with 6 classes with kids in Macau tomorrow. The plane is boarding. Off I go!