Home : Plato's Words : November 2003

November 2003

October was a really mixed bag of emotions for me. I had great happiness and great sorrow. I imagine that's what a living a full life is all about, perhaps you must experience both ends of the spectrum. So much of my life is so very happy that I do try to remember to be thankful that so far at least, sorrow has been very rare to occur in my life. Frustrations, loneliness, upsets, those I have had a plenty but real sorrow hasn't touched very often. More on that later…

On the happy end of things, my teaching is going really well this year. I have several new piano students ranging in age from 6-14 and I am enjoying the teaching process with a new perspective this year. These kids have busy lives, jam- packed with all kinds of activities. I'd like to try to help them find a way to fit the love and study of music in with soccer, video games and simply being a kid. I sound so old when I say that "in my time" there wasn't so much going on to compete with the hours available to do participate in activities. It is true though, computer games and new technologies exciting and advanced must seem much more enticing than learning how to play an instrument. It is hard work to learn a new language and in some ways that's what learning music is like, Luckily some parents realize how valuable studying music can be and give their children an opportunity to take lessons and learn to play and sing . Who knows whom the next Amadeus Mozart or Ella Fitzgerald or Bill Evans might be? Perhaps one of the very kids that are coming to me for lessons this year. That is an exciting possibility in my mind. Of course most of them might just grow up and be a regular person like me who plays and loves music but maybe some of them will go on to greatness…wouldn't that be something? Even if none of them go on to greatness perhaps I can at least help teach them about music and how wonderful it really is to hear, to play and to experience.

As far as performing music is concerned, the beginning of October was a highlight for me, on a little BC interior tour with Bill Coon. We had incredible weather and we had wonderful people to perform our music to. Jazz is alive and well in the BC interior!! While on the tour. Bill and I were able to lead a couple of high school workshops to try to share our love of jazz with those budding musicians. What a joy to meet some of those eager young people who already have some understanding about this exciting genre of music. They seemed so spirited and fearless and that was very inspiring to witness. I think some of them have the "jazz bug" already and that to quote Martha Stewart (as I have been known to do) "it's a good thing!"

The sorrow end of the spectrum occurred when my beloved dog Worf had to be put to sleep at the end of October. Things progressed very rapidly and she went from simply being an aging dog to a dog with some serious health problems. I won't go into great detail but you pet owners know how difficult it is to see your beloved pet suffer, I loved her because for 12 years of my life she was a constant source of laughter and fun and even comfort on some days. She was absolutely forgiving since some days I really wasn't in the mood to play with her or was too busy or absolutely cranky. When was she ever cranky with me? Never. She was always happy and eager to please and forgave me my many human foibles. I never knew just how much it would hurt to see her suffer in the two weeks that she so rapidly deteriorated and how much I would miss her. It's amazing just how much love you can feel for a dog. She wasn't even the most beautiful dog in the world but she was absolutely beautiful to me. She was a black lab with the most gentle friendly demeanor that you can imagine; always happy to see any person that came to the house and there to greet everyone no matter what there business there. She had big dark brown eyes with long black lashes and a long soft nose. Her tail seemed to wag constantly unless she was sleeping and even then it wagged in some of her dog dreams. She was such a quiet dog and rarely used her bark throughout her 12 years. Every day without fail she seemed to find balls in the park and no dog ever loved balls as much as Worf did: tennis balls, golf balls, soccer balls, baseballs, nerf balls, ping pong balls, basketballs. This is no exaggeration. Each one of these ball varieties ended up at our house. At first I couldn't believe it but it is true. Under wide spreading trees that hid them where some child or adult left them for good she would find them and claim them as her own so of course we did take them home with us. Sometimes a ragged section of a ripped up ball left behind by some other dog made her wag with joy as she brought me her latest find. One of her great pleasures was seeing if she could fit three tennis balls in her mouth at once and, yes, she could and did as we howled with laughter at the amusing sight.

She helped to inspire my songwriting on our many walks around the park. In particular my song "Dog For A Day" is all about Worf and her humorous personality. Sometimes just the joy of playing with her and the laughter that she gave me put me in an inspirational frame of mine as I returned to my music room after romping around outside with her.

I know I am really lucky to have had such a great dog. My husband and I miss her very much. I will never forget her and I hope that it really is true that all dogs go to heaven. That's where she deserves to be…

Karin