Reaching Out

Autumn Walk

Dear readers, it has been almost a month since I posted. I will share a little of what has been going on. 

I begin by asking you to think about your usual morning routine. Like me, you might not give it much thought. I get up, drink a big glass of water, stretch, tone, exercise and meditate. I enjoy a morning coffee with frothy warm milk, a bowl of cereal and fruit. Then it’s the usual personal grooming in preparation for the day. But imagine what happens when you can’t move your dominant arm without extreme shoulder pain? You gradually become afraid to move, and that arm becomes more and more stiff, or frozen. 

I have a frozen shoulder, or as it is officially called adhesive capsulitis. It can happen to anyone at any time. It is a condition that involves the thickening, stiffening and inflammation of the shoulder joint capsule. OUCH! 

This is all complicated by pinched nerves in my cervical spine causing stabbing pain down my right arm. DOUBLE OUCH! 

I have taken movement for granted in my daily life: putting on my coat, putting away the dishes, reaching for a box or blouse in the closet, picking up my guitar to play, brushing my hair, getting dressed, drumming, cooking, writing this newsletter. Right now all these activities are extremely challenging… and painful. 

As someone who loves to share the joy of music improvisation, singing, movement, and creativity, I am feeling like a bird with her wings, or in this case wing, clipped. This condition requires me to slow down a lot. Every single action requires great care and mindfulness. Throughout the day, I am confronted with my impulse to hurry to get the mundane tasks of life done. Due to my low vision, I am already slower than the average bird, so I confess to having a condition called “hurry sickness”. The main symptom of hurry sickness is a constant feeling of “trying to keep up!” Stabbing pain, and now just the slightest possibility of it, stops me in my tracks. I have to mindfully plan and sometimes improvise different ways to do simple motor tasks. I have to be especially mindful as I move around as the slightest jolt brings excruciating pain. 

In the voice studio, I find myself even more concentrated on the students. I listen more, ask questions, follow up on those questions, listen more, and embody focus. On October 25, I facilitated an improvisation intensive, and I found myself dropping into an even deeper level of focus. Less is more. I asked myself: how can I reach out and get them to play, to challenge themselves to discover the music that has been dormant deep within them? How can I reach them and truly demonstrate the concept of quality over quantity? How do I encourage by being a master of what I can do, and use what resources I have to the fullest. It was a magical day, I learned to get out of my way and their way - and let them play - let them shine. 

Oct 25, 2025 workshop

As I offer compassion to myself instead of frustration, I can channel that to others. There is something magical about stepping back to provide a growing space for others to fill. 

The same magic happened at my online EuSing! class this week. Everyone sang for the open mic, and it was wonderful to be a part of that musical sharing. 

I will be winding down the frequency of my newsletters over the next couple of weeks to offer myself a little more time to heal and be in my music. 

For those who go on Facebook, I am guilty of not engaging in social media. Reading screens requires tremendous effort, effort that I much prefer to use for healing, and facilitating in lessons and classes. 

If you have read this far, I just need to say a huge thank you!  

Remember how great it feels to stretch out both your arms, give someone a hug or reach for the stars! 

Please note all my scheduled fall activities with the exception of my online EuSing! Classes, Music for People and voice lessons, have been cancelled. 

Take care of yourselves and I will be back soon enough!