Notes in a Chord!
Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to enjoy the great pleasure and privilege of singing my little troubadour heart out from time to time. And, although I would never have been hired as a standby for Manhattan Transfer (except possibly as their ringer at an international pie-eating contest), I have been given the opportunity to participate in some occasional harmony work. And an interesting thing happens sometimes when you’re in the midst of some harmonizin’ (interesting to me, anyway, HANG IN THERE)...when the blend is beautifully established, you can find yourself outside of it, like an out-of-body experience, watching and wondering “Wait, am I still singing? Yup, there’s my note! I’m still there!” The chord seems to take on a life of its own, and notes appear to move around independently, beyond any great effort that I might deem necessary to exert. The chord knows what to do without my meddling mental interference. The feeling doesn’t always last very long, but it’s just glorious to let go and let your creativity drive for a while (if you’re reading this, Tesla, here’s a perfect sponsorship moment for you MUST I THINK OF EVERYTHING).
Of course, much like 8-year-old me, elbow-deep in a box of Corn Pops fishing out the prize ‘cause I WAS THERE FIRST AND I DESERVED IT, your creativity knows what it’s doing! Now, part of the experience might be due to some pricey, hi-falutin’ technical music theory training (NERD ALERT), but what I’m talkin’ about is a more instinctual, ethereal musicality that emanates from somewhere outside of the thinkin’ mind. While watching that magnificent chord shimmer, you are perfectly and exclusively in the moment, and all the noisy thoughts that try their darnedest to intrude fade to a sweet whisper and cease to matter...you’re not thinking about your Blue Mountain Pottery Wetlands-birds collection, or about how you wish your childhood plus-size jeans hadn’t had “Husky” so conspicuously stitched to the caboose, or how you may never get to host that Tequila-Sunrise-themed soirée and all that grenadine you so wisely bought on sale will tragically expire. Relieved of the clamor of your busy brain, you may come to notice the awareness that’s never not there - the invigorating awareness of what’s happening right now.
In previous ex-blog-a-ganzas, I’ve blathered on about how creativity is life, and vice-versey; that aliveness you feel when you surrender to that ol’ creative urge (no matter what your medium of choice - be it painting a portrait of your beloved pet ferret, redecorating your indoor/outdoor iguana playhouse, or really going to town on some macaroni spiral art) is the feeling most of us compulsively chase in the world, in one form or another, perhaps all of our lives. But the proverbial kicker is, that aliveness is right here already, and available 24/7 (even on Stat Holidays)! Ain't that a knee-slapper, Mabel??
Creativity is only one sexy way of spelunking into the present moment. Creativity has many alluring guises - peace, love, kindness, gratitude, compassion, clarity, humility, mirth, forgiveness, and abundance, to name just a few (all for the low low price of $9.99 if you order before midnight tonight!)...all of these superstars of the universal love vernacular are interchangeable! (try it at your next fondue party! Best paired with an off-dry Riesling with a gratitude chaser!) QUESTION: when you’re meeting up with a wonderfully fun amigo, don’t you feel joyful? And don’t you immediately start riffin’ with each other and being hilarious like you’re witty and urbane and dishing like you’re on a clearly classic Merv Griffin show? That’s creativity, beautifully erupting as joy. And when you and your bestie are in a moment, being hilarious together, don’t you feel like all is well with the world? That’s peace. Don’t you feel soooo lucky in that moment to have such a great friend - so much so you might even, for the love of Mop ‘n Glo, feel rich enough to pick up the check??? That’s gratitude and abundance. And actually telling your friend how flippin’ delicious it is to be with them is love and kindness. And all of these bottomless, relentlessly-invigorating feelings are synonyms for life. And they’re all happening right here and right now. Get still and notice they're right there with you! The buffet is open and it's All You Can Eat! (don’t forget to tip your server!)
Getting back to my fancy-pants musical thesis (WHY DOESN’T ANYONE KEEP ME ON TRACK?) - there’s another beautiful truth that’s one and the same with life, and that’s harmony. In a chord, every note has its vital and perfect role in creating the perfect chord at the perfect time. Some chords are major, some are minor, some are dissonant, some may sound atonal...they all have their place. Some chords feel triumphant. Some chords feel foreboding. Some chords leave you hanging and longing for a resolution. No matter what, no single note in those chords can be ignored because they are all equally important. And in this world, every single person is a note in an impossibly complex and exquisite chord...and every gorgeous note is absolutely necessary and equally vital for the chord to be exactly what it needs to be right now. These ever-changing chords are forever, inevitably and undeniably moving forward, and each chord is crucial in life’s exquisite, neverending symphony. We may not know where the chord progression is headed (certainly I don’t know, but, then again, I’m no Mozart or Kenny G), but committing to each and every note in each and every chord in each and every moment is harmony. And harmony is life. And vice-versey.
While harmonizing, to be able to let go, listen, and blend with the other singers takes true humility, as you offer up your voice in an effort to merge with others and create something greater than the sum of the joined voices. Something that shimmers like life does. And staying closely and lovingly entwined with the other voices in the chord, each with our different notes, as we all move together, takes deep empathy. Every note needs to be heard and is equally important to the chord. Life is empathy. Empathy is humility. Humility is life. See how it all balances? Coolio, huh?
The aliveness that we feel when we can drop into this moment (which is the only moment we have access to, so that makes it easy to pick one!); the aliveness that becomes so palpable when we tap into our creativity, or when we're compassionate, or kind, or loving, or peaceful - the aliveness in those moments is the same for everyone. Everything in this world is constantly changing, except for that aliveness. The aliveness is always what it is, and it is everything. Moreover, that aliveness is not a separate aliveness for each person, but ONE aliveness, that we all share. We are one spectacular, sexy, exhilarating pile of good vibrations, as the Beach Boys might say if they were over for some Hawaiian Punch! And surf's up, Moondoggie!
In these unusual times, I humbly offer you my love and my very clear understanding that you are beyond magnificent. Each and every flippin’ one of you!! Keep well, keep washing your hands, keep a respectful distance and keep smilin’!
💓💓💓