Day 7 - High Culture

I saw a letter to the editor in this morning's newspaper in which the writer was echoing the sentiments of a previous letter, which had said seniors could help renew a love for classical music in our culture by bringing young people along when they go to concerts. Maybe this is true. I'm sure there are kids out there who didn't realize they had an appreciation for classical music until they were exposed to it, and an orchestral performance would be as effective of an introduction as any.

Not long ago our school took the 5th graders on a field trip to Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis to hear a performance of Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring." This was undeniably a great opportunity for the kids, since so few of them would have the chance to experience such a thing in their daily lives. They were excited about the day since it was a field trip, and many of them were looking forward to the performance if only to see the instruments they had signed up to play in 6th grade orchestra. In the back of my mind, I wondered how the performance would go over for kids that, for the most part, haven't been exposed to much more music than whatever they're currently being force-fed by pop radio, or from practicing for piano lessons, or are peripherally aware of from the soundtracks of the video games they play.

They were impressed with Orchestra Hall as soon as we arrived: The acoustic design, the lighting, the comfortable chairs, and the surprise of seeing several friends from other schools who were also there that day. They chatted as the hall filled, with some watching the musicians warm up and tune, pointing out to each other instruments they recognized from their own middle school try-out day.

The performance began with some backstory to the piece, told through a slide show taken from a picture book about it which was narrated by the author. It told of how the composer worked with a choreographer to design something new and modern and progressive, merging music and dance and surprising the society of their time. Once the story was finished, we settled in for the music.

I don't mind saying it: "The Rite of Spring" really didn't do it for me. I'm not exactly a classical aficionado, but I'm not completely ignorant about it either. The piece had a dissonant, chaotic quality that didn't really resonate with me, but I still enjoyed seeing it performed at such a high level of mastery. As for the kids? I sat behind most of our group, and enjoyed seeing so many of them bob and sway their way through the performance. They sat up straight to get the best view they could, and seemed legitimately engaged. And many of them had comments afterward about some very specific things they enjoyed.

The most commonly mentioned favorite thing? Not surprisingly it was the gong. Not so much for it's musical quality, but because they thought it was so funny the way the man playing the gong would strike and immediately mute it by leaning his butt against it.

You've gotta love the sense of humor of 11-year-olds.

Day 6 - The Anti-Bucket List

During a recent lunch break, I asked some of my colleagues if they had any ideas I could use for some of these May blog posts. Someone suggested I describe the things on my "Bucket List." I dismissed the idea pretty quickly -- not because I thought it was a bad idea, but as I thought about what items would be on my list, I realized that ultimately I don't have one. I couldn’t think of any big adventures or experiences or places to visit waiting to be checked off.

Are there things in life I'd still like to do someday? Yeah, sure. But as far as hopes or wishes go, I'm confident most people would consider mine to be pretty mundane. Some of these would be nice experiences to have, but if I don't have them I'm not going to feel any palpable sense of loss. Other items on my would-be list could be things I would have hoped for at one time, but as my priorities shifted and my life rolled along in the direction I'd set, circumstances made those things less likely to ever happen. I accept this easily enough, and maybe that acceptance plays a role in however that downgrade of importance originally began to happen.

But do I see any of these things as essential to do before I die? No, not really. So now that's left me wondering: Is this because I've grown used to disappointment, or because I'm just comfortable with less grandeur? Or is it a mixture of the two?

Maybe I should toy with the idea of putting together a list. I'd expect it'd be something like a birthday list, where you write down the things you hope for even if you know you probably won’t get them all. I guess my problem would be not really having any idea where to start.

Day 5 - Meteorological Liberation

Days like this remind me of how big the world is, and how specific life in Minnesota can be.

I have the news on each morning while I'm getting ready for the day, and today one of the big stories was how the DNR declared an ice out for some of the major lakes in the Cities (which is how we refer to the Twin Cities up here, for the out-of-towners). It made me think of some of my cousins living in Texas and Arizona, some for their entire lives, who probably wouldn't recognize the term "ice out" without some explanation.

At the end of the school day I was standing out front with some of my colleagues, when somebody mentioned how the sunny 65 degree day felt like it could have been in the 80s after all of the cold we've endured this winter. I didn't really agree, but that's probably because I think temperatures in the 60s are about as perfect as weather can get. And again, I thought of my faraway cousins who would probably think 65 degrees would feel like the dead of winter.

After I got home, I changed into workout clothes and drove to the Y. Not a terribly noteworthy event itself, but today was the first time I've gone there in a long, long time without needing to wear a sweatshirt or a jacket. I also wore my sunglasses on the drive over, because it was actually bright enough to make them necessary.

I think there are few things that can feel as liberating as a warm day after a long, cold winter. And I'm looking forward to soaking up a few more of them.