Focusing on the Moments or a Moment on Focus

We have been home two weeks. This morning the sun poked through the bleak midwinter. Shout out to Mary who persevered and made it through midterms and finals and lessons and recital preparation and driving practice since we have been home. Shout out to Calvin who had a four hour recording session in the U of I concert hall. And shout out to Bill who as always, takes the storms of life and turns them into gentle breezes taking pictures along the way.

Looking back on eleven years of trips to Hawaii, we have only missed two years, it's easy to watch the kids grow up through the camera lens and of course the sun does its work on the faces of the adults as well.

Our children have all these different stage. I've said before that I loved all the stages. The trick is, you never get to say goodbye to that kid before they become the next one. It's not my idea, it's universal, but you never know the last time someone sits on your lap or builds a sand castle or plays in a Playmobil town in your basement.

I don't know why thinking about memories is such a mixed bag. It was so cold and bleak I tried to conjure up the image of my mom and I walking along the beach in the sun, just two weeks ago. Instead of warming my heart, it squeezed it and a little tear came out.

Everyone says the secret of life is just being in the moment. Really being there.
Breathing in and breathing out in real time.

How do you remind yourself of this?

I always remind my studio parents that you can't make a child focus by telling them to focus.
Telling them to focus actually takes their focus away from the task. We have to draw them in.

We have to draw ourselves into the moments of life. We have to look through the camera lens in real time. Focus the lens. Focus the moment.

Calvin attributes his ability to test well in subjects to his growing up at the piano. Not everyone walking down the street can sit and really focus on something for an extended amount of time. Mary attributes her ability to finish complicated projects to piano practice. Developing focus is a lifetime growth thing. We are all on that path, myself included.

Caroline Fraser always says, the student was focused because the teacher was focused.

Well, it's a busy weekend and I don't have all the answers. I'm going to talk a little about focus at my parent party tomorrow. And a little about just being in the moment.

I'll try to be in the moments as I go through the recital at MacPhail today, a date with Bill, the parent party tomorrow and the social times that go with it all.

Blessings to you my faithful readers. This is my eleventh year of blogging.
I'm glad I can share a few of these moments and a few of my inner thought with you.

Sara