Summer Beckons: A reminiscence of May & June

   It has been awhile, Friend. I lay in bed here in the late evening, and can't help but feel nostalgia for the recent past. It seems like May flew by as quickly as it approached, and in its wake I feel the aftershocks of a productive month.

   Now that I am preparing for my second serious audition season as an emerging artist (post-grad school, but not quite seasoned opera singer), it seems as though summer will be much more full than expected. One of my favorite things about summer is getting to perform more frequently in outreach concerts around the Nashville area with the Nashville Opera. Getting to sing in general in public has always seemed like such a huge honor (and more recently, a whole lot of fun), and singing more frequently has ignited such a light in my life. 

   Next month marks 2 years since I left my life & marriage in New Orleans, and even though I've met this many wonderful people, and had this many experiences, I can't shake the feeling that I'm still suspended in cosmic goo, unable to move on with my life. 

A cicada shell, Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park

Standing up

These next few months are crucial. Despite how draining my schedule is, I am excited to see where my hard work takes me. I am...feeling very thankful to know the people I do, recently. When you grow up, the people you include in your life are so important, and I seem to have met the most wonderful people alive. Through my hardships, they sit and love me, they understand me, and they meet me with joy. My darling, darling friends, you are truly the most extraordinary. I feel so privileged to be included in your life, and you in mine. 

I am slowly dragging myself into a daily movement routine, again. I've been ill on and off for a couple of months, but starting to move again has really made a difference in my life. Between yoga, Pilates, hiking, and the occasional ballroom dance (some of the members of the dance club I work at have started asking me to dance), I am thoroughly enjoying being active.

   The way my body is slowly waking again, amidst all the chaos and heartbreak of navigating finding a new place, the job market, and creating (not to mention the state of the world currently), is scary and lonely and hopeful. Despite how life seems to constantly beat us down, sometimes...sometimes it's not so bad. 

Darling friend, I hope that you find something to feel hopeful for. Even if the very thought of hope makes you tingle with fear, I hope you continue to try and hope for something, despite it all. 

I hope that this is the beginning. For all of us. 

The author.