Have you ever played a musical instrument? If yes, then, you know how it feels to make a mistake. When cellist Yo-Yo Ma makes a mistake while performing, he says he often thinks about how Julia Child would react when she erred in the kitchen: Oh, the chicken’s fallen on the floor! Yes. Oh, well, pick it up and put it right back.
“And you know what?” he says. “Everybody’s with you.”
For Ma, musical performance is not about showcasing his technical flourish, but rather about extending hospitality to the world. “The greater purpose is that we’re communing together and we want this moment to be really special for all of us,” he says. “It’s not about proving anything. It’s about sharing something.”
While in-person concerts may not be possible right now, music still offers a powerful way to connect.
This flash mob just makes me smile. I hope it does you also. Yesterday, a strong woman died, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I am so thankful for her service as a Supreme Court judge. I believe she showed the world how to be a strong woman, a lady, and a class act.
One of her quotes that resonates with me: “I tell law students… if you are going to be a lawyer and just practice your profession, you have a skill—very much like a plumber. But if you want to be a true professional, you will do something outside yourself… something that makes life a little better for people less fortunate than you.”
Excerpt from Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”:
“Gladly, as His suns fly
through the heavens’ grand plan
Go on, brothers, your way,
Joyful, like a hero to victory.
Be embraced, Millions!
This kiss to all the world!
Brothers, above the starry canopy
There must dwell a loving Father.
Are you collapsing, millions?
Do you sense the creator, world?
Seek him above the starry canopy!
Above stars must He dwell.”
I turn 60 in a few weeks. 2020 has been a tough year and a year of change for me. I hope my 61st year is a bit easier for many people around the world and locally. Peace and take care, C2.
