February 3rd. My least favorite day of the year. I say this with no malice, just an observation of a pattern I have noticed, year over year. In my life it seems, traditionally, February 3rd or the 10 days surrounding it are my least favorite, or hardest. I think this tends to be a combination of the cold of Minnesota, the continued lack of light, and the wearing off of the shininess of a new year.

This is also the time of year that I tend to want to start new things, a new blog, a new business idea, new projects, in the past new schools (or at least the applications for a future school year.) This year, I’ve attempted to go inward and think about what new skill I would like to learn, and while I’ll probably keep updating the poetry blog, at least for now, I’ve channelled my interest in to learning the harp. My orientation lesson is today, and I’ll be visiting with an instructor and another potential student for a group class. 

Big is extraordinarily excited about this, as then she is 2/3rds to her trio (cello, harp and flute) and grandma has mentioned in passing an interest in flute. Little is taking it all in stride. I asked her if she’d be interested in learning harp, and she laughed, and reminded me that she already has a cello.

As a child I was in piano lessons for a bit. I learned how to play by ear, and subsequently never learned to read notes. In watching Big play her cello, and learn to read notes, then take that skill and apply it to other instruments and sheet music has been fantastic, and it occurred to me that I would really like to learn that skill as well.

Wish me luck! -CM