Death is not something we like to talk about. At least not in Western culture. It reminds us of endings, of our finite existence, our impermanence of being. It brings up feelings of abandonment and fear. And yet each one of us goes this way. […]
The night air stuck to my skin as I wandered the music festival grounds. Klaus and I had just met face to face for the first time after a brief Facebook exchange earlier that spring. I had recently come to Freiburg, shattered from an old […]
The greatest adventure of this summer was blogging for the Zelt-Musik-Festival (ZMF). Writing 27 consecutive Blogstage posts through the month of July, I attempted for the first time to blog in German. I didn’t really think anyone would read it. Much to my surprise, they did! Hanging […]
Words. They frame meaning. They help us get through things. They give us ways to express thoughts and feelings. Today I woke up in a foul mood for no particular reason. Then I discovered my beloved Prince had died at the age of 57 (thanks, […]
What does running have to do with the power of slow? There really is nothing Slow about running per se. With a minor exception of one blazing summer as a Washington, D.C. intern, I’ve never been the jogging type. But I do love my walks […]
Without love there would be no music. That is what Russian clarinetist Roman Kuperschmidt said before he played the most moving melody I’ve heard in a long time yesterday. His eyes glowed with true passion as he made his instrument sing. He grabbed us with […]
It’s time to be honest. I am going to out myself. I was a Barry Manilow fan as a kid. You got it. I loved him. Would have died for him. But what was a rural tween to do other than to make up dance […]
Music has healing properties. And it seems that just when I need it, a song will show up to tell me just what I need to hear. Marc Cohn is a singer-songwriter whose music touches my soul. In his song She’s Becoming Gold, he sings […]
Bruce Springsteen sings of them. So do the Goo Goo Dolls. But the best lyrics I’ve heard recently about better days is a line in Dave Matthews’ Song, “Cry Freedom.” “The future is no place/to place your better days.” Better days refer to better times. […]
Sometimes all we are is dust in the wind, as Kansas rightly sings. The first time I heard that song was at a talent show when I was ten years old. A few friends of my sister sang it. The message stuck with me all […]