It may be Friday the 13th,  but I am feeling mighty lucky today-  or maybe a better word is “blessed.”  Here are the biggest reasons in no particular order:

* I have a defective gas gauge, which means that my Empty Tank warning light comes on then the tank is still half full – which means that I pay no attention to the warning light and just get gas whenever I feel like it.  (I know, I know – a great system.)  Early this morning, on my way to work,   I swung by Speedway to grab some gas, and ended up putting $62 worth of gas into the tank… which means that I was driving on fumes,  and very easily could have run out of gas on my way to the station.  And with my cell phone lost at that point,  running out of gas would have been a catastrophe times twelve.  So I am very very lucky that some voice inside my head said “get gas” – and that I listened.

  1. *This morning, right before I left the house, I took a swig of Robitussin that is clearly marked “Non Drowsy” – but as I walked into the radio station,  I felt like if I had been asked by a cop to walk a straight line,  I would not have been able to do it.  And as luck would have it,  today’s Morning Show was “live” – discussing current events with Professor Art Cyr.  As the theme music was playing in the background and the walls spun around me, all I could think to myself was “don’t say anything stupid…. don’t say anything stupid…. don’t say anything stupid….”   I even flashed back to that infamous video clip of TV anchorwoman Jessica Savitch appearing inebriated while stumbling her way through NBC News on- the-hour Headlines …. and imagined myself saying President Mohammad instead of President Obama – or laughing inappropriately in the middle of our discussion about the bloodshed in Syria – or committing some other sort of on-air indiscretion that would end my broadcast career with a resounding crash.  But I made it through pretty much unscathed – and made a mental note NEVER to take Robitussin on an empty stomach – especially 45 minutes before I have to sound halfway intelligent on the air – or before I’m about to drive a car off of our block.

  1. * By the way,  the aforementioned Lost Phone was FOUND!  Kathy ended up downloading some app straight out of Star Trek in which you can detect the exact position of your cell phone … and it led us right to where it was – Holy Communion Lutheran Church banner room, which is right where I left it.  I do have to say that living for a whole day without one’s cell phone is not the worst thing in the world, but I’m relieved that my “Adventure in Amish-ness” was a temporary one.

  1. * This afternoon is the first time since mid-summer that Peg Cleveland, Matt Boresi and I – the three co-teachers of Opera Workshop – have been in the same room at the same time, actually able to talk about we’re doing.  I won’t bore you about the details of our discussion (at least today I won’t)  but I have to say that during our talk and in its aftermath,  I could not stop thinking about how fortunate I am to work with such FABULOUS colleagues …. who are smart, creative, fun, passionate – and nice!   And that goes for my other colleagues as well, but today I’m just luxuriating in the joy of working closely with Matt and Peg.   And after today’s class, in which we listened to each of our students sing,  all three of us feel really fortunate to have such fine singers to work with.

  1. * Finally ….   I’m feeling fortunate that the rotten cold/ bronchitis I’m suffering through right now did not strike until three days after my faculty voice recital.   Oh yeah – I sang a faculty voice recital this past Sunday afternoon.  I titled it “Into the Woods” because of several pieces I sang that talk about retreating into the woods to escape from the pressures and cares of the world – which in turn led me to explore and talk about how music itself can serve as the woods to which we retreat for comfort and relief.  As it turns out,  Sunday was an incredibly hectic day,  and I ended up getting to Carthage much later than I wanted to – and at three minutes before the recital was scheduled to begin, I was still putting on my suit!   So much for having even a minute or two to just sit, breathe deeply, collect my thoughts and find some focus.  Instead, I felt like I was running out on that stage both mentally and visually disheveled,  like I’d just jumped out of a plane without first double checking my parachute.   Add the fact that Dr. Gregory Woodward, the President of Carthage, and his wife Penelope were sitting in the front row …. (just typing those words makes my pulse race!)  things went pretty well.

 

The opening song I wrote especially for the occasion (“I choose to sing”) got a few laughs – and I made it through my entire classical set without any major mishaps.  (But I wish I’d taken a break at some point. It never occurred to me, believe it or not!)  The first half ended with eleven of my voice students joining me to sing my song “Strength”  …. the first time it was ever sung by male voices only.  It was a blast – and more than that,  it was moving to have those guys who mean so much to me up on that stage.   And carrying that theme forward,  the second half included more collaborations …. including one with my 8-year-old niece Lorelai that was designed as a complete surprise for everyone there, including her parents …. plus touching contributions from my father and father-in-law …. and Kathy and Kate Barrow joining me on the last song,  “Not while I’m around.”   And for the encore,  which I chose to sing right on the spot,  I had the audience join me in singing “The Sound of Music.”   That might sound totally corny-  but I wouldn’t trade those last three minutes of the recital for anything.  Its lyrics said exactly what needed to be said – and I knew it was a song that almost everybody there would know and enjoy singing … and when I listen to the recording and hear all of those beautiful voices joining together, it’s as though for those few moments our hurts and worries and disappointments were a million miles away.

That’s what can happen when you follow the music into the heart of the most beautiful woods you’ve ever seen . . .

pictured above:  This is a shot of me welcoming everyone to the recital.  Before I’d sung a single note, I was already a sweaty mess ….  but the show must go on.