What an eventful week it's been for me. I could tell tales of more home network setup ventures, a big dinner buffet, the many busy tales of being on-call this week at work, or the nearly-finished endeavor of engineering recordings from a choir to sound good. I could even tell the tale of checking out at a Walmart, buying a tiny pocket-sized camping trowel, and having to get clerk assistance because it was apparently a dangerous weapon. Perhaps above all, I would love going on about the evening this week that I and "the boys" got to hang out and just have a fun time.
But all said and done, I'm a day later than I meant to be in posting this, and as I've said before, I have miles to go before I sleep. So, the main takeaway I had from this week was something I had long forgotten. My Uncle has been in a very prestigious choir for 10 years, now, and finally retired in his last broadcast as of last Sunday. I and my family went to the event in-person, and it made me realize I had forgotten something important- perhaps not the most practical thing, or the most important life advice. But I forgot what a profound and deep experience it is to listen to good, inspired music.
I'll be the first to admit that I love to rock it out on my way to work, and to various clients. I just love a good tune to get me pumped! And yet, as oft as I enjoy going swimming under, it is needful to occasionally return to the surface and not only breathe the clearer air, but take it in and let it move through me. I mean, for you- think about a song- perhaps an orchestral and/or choral piece that was so hauntingly beautiful, so warm and reverberating, or maybe just so soul invigorating that it moved through you, and you thought to yourself, for a moment: was that a small glimpse of heaven?
I love me a beautifully mastered recording of such a song; but there is SO much more to be said about hearing it in person. I'm serious. This is an open invitation to you: if you haven't been to a live concert with an orchestra, a choir, and/or a pipe organ, DO IT! I will readily admit, of all of the beautiful places I've been to, of all of the greatest accomplishments I have in life, much of it greatly falls short of the sweet memory of being in that moment when the choir hit that one note that clashed, and yet somehow sounded like the most amazing and haunting sound you ever heard.
I'll admit, one such moment I'll never forget was when I had the opportunity to sing in a choir in the very venue I attended for my Uncle- and this venue houses one of the most fantasic organs I've ever heard with my own ears! I won't forget that moment, when, as I sang with the choir, I not only heard the organ pipes kick up and join us, but felt them, as if a battalion of angels was charging both through and with me. It's perhaps the closest thing I can claim to having an "out of body" experience, because in that moment, it felt like I was just floating on air, taking in the moment and the awe before me.
I guess on that note, if ever you get to sing or play in such an opportunity, TAKE IT! I can really go on about this all day, so I'll wrap up. Rock on, my dudes and dudettes, enjoy your favorite music! But also, find the occasion, occasionally, to sit back for a moment, and take in the awe and good feelings that these choral and orchestral pieces can offer.
I'm going out of town this week on a camping and hiking adventure, so there'll be quite a story to tell, no doubt, when I return. Chao!