I Never Told You...

Life is so abundant, full and rich and just incredible, isn't it? There have been so many great things happen lately that I haven't taken the time to tell you. Yo Yo Ma. Ah. I can't even type his name without smiling. That concert was a once in a lifetime event. I don't just mean because the tickets cost the earth. I mean because things will never come together in that exactly perfect way again. He was incredible! The man played for more than an hour - never with a single sheet of music. Everything, everything was memorized.

It moved me to tears as I watched his enthusiasm for music. There were times when the orchestra would be playing without him. His entire body followed the music like a sunflower follows the sun. He just swayed so gracefully toward whatever section was playing at the moment.

When he was playing, he would get so excited, so passionate, that he would pop out of his seat. Literally. He would just pop up and right back down, playing perfectly all the while. His excitement and energy made me feel kindred. I often get so excited about my passions that I quite literally can't stay still. Watching Yo Yo Ma enjoy the music he was making brought such another dimension of pleasure to my own listening. So many musicians seem to be concentrating so hard on what they are doing. I love to see musicians just let go and play with their hearts.

Watching Yo Yo Ma and the St. Louis Symphony was very like watching LaVay Smith and the Red Hot Skillet Lickers. The music is totally different, of course. It's that they all just had so much fun. Even more, the concert it was like a really good worship service at church. The music is alive; a living, breathing, growing thing and we're all along for the ride. All of us a part of it, whether we are playing, singing, dancing, or just present to live in such a magic moment.



The illustration above is by the very talented Octavian Illustration. You can buy her work here or visit her blog here. For one more delight today, click here.