warmth and gratitude
I love winter. It is, however, and unrequited love and a bit hard on this poor little heart of mine. It’s white and icy around here and I’ve been spending an abundance of time outside skiing, snowshoeing, boarding, and building quinzee huts with kids and friends. The freeze hasn’t let up in days, neither has the sweet silence of the season. My warmth is found inside over a cup of cocoa, learning new tunes on the banjo, and watching Lost, while knitting like a crazy person. I’ve had very few shows this season but the ones I’ve had were incredible and have also given me warmth.
Many friends called me up after I opened for David Rawlings and Gillian Welch to check in on how the show went. I stayed pretty silent after that night, unsure why at first, I didn’t check in with anyone. It took some time for it all to sink in. I battled with the juxtaposition of “they’re just people like me and you” and “holy shit, these guys are really famous. I used to cover Gillian’s songs all the time…still do!” I was shy in their presence in the green room at the Cedar, as they and their band seemed to move and dance as one unit while doing simple tasks such as putting their instruments in their cases and making phone calls back home. They played an incredible show! A beautiful mix of David’s songs, Gillian’s songs, songs with the entire band, and songs just as a duo. I was lost in their performance and paused during “Miss Ohio” or was it when David sang “To Be Young” (a Rawlings/Adams co-write), I closed my eyes and threw my gratitude up and out there into the ether somewhat like a grand prayer- I was a part of this! How do I even begin to talk about that feeling, that gratitude and that amazement? To tell my friends that the show went really well would be accurate but lacking in complete truth…the show was astounding! To be a part of such magic was incredible. I worry, however, about putting too much weight on this one opportunity. I am grateful for something much bigger than being a part of that one night…I am grateful that night happened for many and happens all the time in other places besides the Cedar. I’m grateful that we have the ability to be moved by something so simple and wonderful as good music and good company.