Choices

February 17, 2019

Circumstances sometimes (read: “often”) get in the way of things we’d really like to do, but we all must make choices about what’s really important. Back in January, notices went out for the annual Bass Fest at Fredonia college. Bass Fest is a day long seminar for students featuring well-known professional bassists who host seminars for the students, many of whom compete for prizes. I sent in my money and reserved my place. 

I’m not good enough to even think of competing, but the seminars are informative, and listening to the students and the master teachers is an amazing experience. I would not believe it possible to produce such intricate and melodious music from this huge, unwieldy instrument except having witnessed it first hand. These students are amazingly talented and the instructors...I don’t even have words to describe what they can do with their instruments. They reveal my wretched sawing for what it truly is...a marvel of dissonance.

I missed most of today’s Bass Fest. Sunday mornings are automatically out, but afternoon and evenings usually have a bit more flexibility for me. Today however, Linda and I met son Matt, his wife Jeanine, and grandson Nathan at the Japanese restaurant in Fredonia. All the rest of the family had other engagements, so we decided to go out to eat. When we were done, they went home and I drove over to the college for the seminars. I was able to take in just one before needing to leave to teach bass for our church’s School of the Arts. Unfortunately, none of my students showed up. When I got home, Linda asked if I were going to the closing concert tonight. I declined. As much as I love the music, I love her more, and would rather spend the evening with her. It’s all about choices. 

Someone on the radio the other day made a very pithy statement about choices. He said, “We make our choices, then they make us.” It’s so true. Even the little decisions we make have a way of piling up until they shape our character and even our futures. Would I like to attend tonight’s concert? Of course! But it’s not the most important item on my calendar, and the choices I’ve made over the years have made me, and in doing so, made tonight’s choice a no-brainer.