August Musings

Summer is nearly over. It seems like it just began. I’m watching the back-to-school advertisements and making my own plans for Labor Day weekend. The children in my family are buying clothes and supplies.

Several of my students have taken a substantial amount of time off this summer and others have taken the entire summer off and will return in September. So I’ve had more time available for other things.

I did something that I’ve never really done as an adult this summer. I took two weeks off from teaching and spent a few of those days on a trip with my wife. I have always worked six or seven days a week just to make ends meet. It was just never possible to just take some time off and go places. I’m not complaining. I chose this life and turned down several offers to walk away from it for greener pastures. But choices always have consequences and time was one of my sacrifices.

I feel fortunate that I’m finally able to do little things like take trips and have time to spend with my family. I’m also lucky that I’m able to segue into other things. Old age has saddled me with shaky hands. Not real bad but bad enough that I won’t play publicly now. But I keep busy with things I had never considered before. Yes, I still teach some, but I also have a Patreon page where I offer new original arrangements of four songs every two weeks. I just started a virtual store on my website.  I have a podcast that is gradually changing into a focus on fine arts (all disciplines), and, oh yeah, this blog. I no longer practice 3-5 hours daily but I sure enough keep busy.

By and large any deadlines that I may have are self-imposed. No matter how uncomfortable it makes me, I can postpone or even ignore them. I know a lot of people who wish they had that option.

And so I look at mid-August with mixed emotions. I’m sad that the warm weather will be leaving soon. I’m happy that I’ll be resuming my normal teaching schedule and will be able to see all of my students again. I’m sad that Halloween decorations are popping up in the chain stores. I’m happy that Halloween candy is popping up in the chain stores. I won’t miss anything that is “Christmas in July” and I’m not looking forward to “pumpkin spice” everything.

More than anything I’m reminded of just how many Labor Day weekends I’ve seen already and that these are limited occurrences for all of us. So, with simple resignation, I seeming hurtle toward another. Too often I refuse to acknowledge that most of my “future” is now in the past. That doesn’t keep me from looking forward to it but it does give me a good reason to buy a bag of Halloween candy in August.