What Makes You Feel Alive

I played a great gig on Saturday. A distant cousin got married at this beautiful spot in Washington. If you look carefully at the photo you can see Mt. Hood in the distance.

I don't play gigs very often, but this was a special family occasion. The bride was gorgeous and she looked like a princess. The bed and breakfast was in a remote location but it was utterly charming and worth the drive over the mountains and through the woods.

I worried when I left home that morning because it had been in the 90s the day before. Saturday morning started with rain at my house. I held my breath the whole drive as I watched the clouds move across the sky. The rain never got close to the wedding site though. But you know what did? Wind. Amazing wind whipping over the hilltop. It was a challenge with my pages of music fluttering around.

The officiant talked about a Howard Thurman quote:

“Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” 

It's such a simple thought, and probably overused in motivational posters and pinterest graphics, but in the moment I realized that I really loved performing for other people.

So let's see what the future holds as far as harp gigs. It's a lot of work, but ultimately so satisfying.

How Harpists Recycle

When a string breaks,


It makes a great cat toy, even for my 18 year old granny who never moves. Thanks in part to the dentist cotton that I use to make the knots at the end.

Poor old cat, you can almost count the teeth she has left. This is the most playful she's been in a while. And for those of you worried that she's being a cannibal by indulging in catgut, fear not. Harp strings are made from sheep intestines. Now you know.