Hello lovely people. I don't have any musical news to share with you today, but I just wanted to check in and say hello. It's been about a year since COVID-19 drastically changed so many things about our lives. It can be hard to see a way through this, how we'll ever get back to something that feels remotely "normal", how to recover from what we've lost and still keep going. I lost a good friend and musical supporter right around the time the pandemic was closing everything down last spring, and it just so happens that they were one of the most positive people I've ever met. So one year on, I'm redoubling my efforts to look for the positive in the world and to be some of the positive in the world.
What kinds of things are you doing to help get through the week without being overcome by worry? Whatever it is you've found, invest in it. I've heard from friends who are using this time to change careers, move, take stock of what is really important to them. Or maybe they put down an old hobby and are picking up a new one. Maybe it's connecting with friends and family, on the phone or via Zoom or on some socially distanced walks, if you are lucky to live close to each other.
For me, it's been a combination of these things. I'm playing music, but I've been focusing on practicing and spending time with all of the instruments I play, not just the main ones I work with all the time. I enjoyed putting on streaming shows last year when we were all looking for some connection (and maybe some distraction), and I'd like to do more of that this year at some point. I've been writing, but not a lot of music. I've been exploring poetry, short story and other forms I didn't even know I was interested in before. I'm enjoying spending more time at home as well as connecting with friends when I can. Whatever works for you, follow it, and when the road turns, don't be afraid to follow that too.
As vaccination rates increase and the good weather approaches, I have hope for the rest of 2021. I hope that life gets easier for a lot of people. I hope that I can travel and see people I haven't seen in a long time now. And I hope I can share some new work with you before long and that you'll be there for it. Talk soon.
-Justin