Air & Simple Gifts

A few weeks ago, some butterflies found their way into my stomach. I wasn't sure how I would get through a month of major deadlines at work and upcoming exams/papers. While I tend not to freak out about such things and have achieved a generally zen-like approach to all things Life, I needed to breathe. Yesterday, I finally did. And thankfully, I exhaled to the beauty of "Air & Simple Gifts," the quartet arrangement performed at the inaugural ceremony.

More than the piece itself, the title of this arrangement spoke to me in a thousand unexpected ways. For the last few weeks, there had been no particular thought, in no particular tone and with no particular theme, to express. Like so much of my life, it was a work in transit - from one place to another, from one task to another, from one person to another.

It has been air and simple gifts which I realized gets me through so much. To pause and to breathe, to reflect and appreciate the smallest of things, even to daydream and be bored, has always been my way of coping - otherwise, I tend to lose track of myself and after all, I am sort of my own best friend.

I can't get into the million and one things that made this month closer to enjoyable than just bearable, but they were simple and small; some sweet, some scandalous, some mundane and predictable. So before I get angry and demand something more from the world, let the record show that it's been good and I know it. Here's to the crisp, cold air in New York and the gift of friends who are only a short plane ride away.