A friend of mine raises Monarch butterflies as a hobby. I knew nothing about raising Monarch butterflies. I showed up at her house for an unrelated matter and I was just in time to help release a fresh butterfly. His wings were strong and ready to carry him south. Good luck and Godspeed.
Everything happens quickly for a Monarch. They go from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly in a very short time. If they don’t get through the cycle soon enough, they won’t have time to move south before it gets too cold. But none of this seems to matter to the Monarchs. They simply move from one stage to the next, meticulously eating their milkweed.
Watching the Monarchs change everything about their very nature at such a fast pace caused me to pause. Their speed made me slow down. Everything in life happens in seasons. Sometimes, I get so caught up with the busy details of a single day that I forget to experience the joy of the current stage. I was so enthralled by the Monarchs that I forgot to take any photos to share with you.
My musical projects always get stifled in the summertime. I don’t know why. I have a finished project that was ready to go but got stuck waiting for some artwork and a marketing plan. Another project is planned and arranged but I haven’t had the time to record the parts. I don’t think it will do anybody any good for me to continue making a list of projects that I didn’t accomplish during this summer season. In the past, I blamed my summer slump on the volume of music festivals. I have this idea that I play a lot more events in the summer and this takes time away from the regular creative flow. There could be some truth to this idea but it was definitely not the case this summer. I think the truth is that things just slow down in the summer or maybe they speed up. I guess it’s probably both at the same time. It’s just a different season.
I have been playing a lot of music with my friend Steve. He plays the dobro. I’m going to share a demo version of a song from one of our sessions. The summer is for making music with friends and enjoying the pace of a different season.