Just as there is value in welcoming beautiful art experiences into a crowded life, there is much to be said for adding in a balance of duty. The Joy of Djembe Drumming Ensemble is one such group to which I’m committed. The word is out. We get asked to play for more events than we can accept and those we attend are followed by more requests to play. Extra gigs means extra practices, soaking up previously free Saturdays. Four-hour rehearsals might seem grueling, but it’s all joy. We are a family created from a group of musicians, many of us have been together for ten years. Our training paid off on Saturday as we played for a local kids’ music festival. What fun to see the children’s faces light up as they discovered the magic of making their own beats. It was a long, but beautiful day – a marathon of music for which we’d been training and way more fun than running twenty-six miles or so. Committing to such a group soaks up time, but it pays in dividends of fun, a necessary ingredient for a balanced life.
Quote of the Week…
“My heart is beating, and I’m breathing, and nothing anybody has ever done has changed that.” Rupi Kaur, 1992 –
Breathe…
We all do it. If we are lucky, it is automatic and pain-free. We don’t even think about it. Paying attention to breath is meditation 101, the most basic mindful awareness practice. I’ve used box breathing (four counts inhale, four counts hold, four counts exhale and four counts hold) during dentist visits. Six breaths per…
Quote of the Week…
“I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.” Pablo Picasso, 1881 – 1973
Patty Mayeux Blog 
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