RuthAnnHarnisch.com

I Was Working, Naturally

by Ruth Ann Harnisch on 05/09/10 at 4:01 pm

Day 126

This is/isn’t working.  I am/am not working.  Even though I gave myself six months notice before beginning the sabbatical, I had a number of commitments and pre-paid activities that I thought I could enjoy without working.

I have broken every streak of behaviors/habits/rituals that I began at the first of the year. Some I’ve resumed, some I haven’t.  People say often, “I thought you were supposed to be on sabbatical,” as if what I’m doing looks like I’m working.

Take the Naturally 7   concert in Freeport   on May 1. 

It was a major philanthropic investment for the Harnisch Foundation. It’s been in the works for over a year. I didn’t think there’d be much actual work required on my part during the sabbatical, but I certainly planned to show up for the concert and the master class for students taught by the group on the next day.

 Members of the Grand Bahama Performing Arts Society know that I was hands-on in shepherding that investment, and I made sure that the philanthropic purposes of the grant were fulfilled. It was work, but it wasn’t work to the degree that I would ordinarily throw myself into a project like that.

That was non-work work.

And even though I will admit that it’s work,  it was so much fun!  I had the thrill of seeing them live when Naturally 7 performed at TED. I expected to enjoy their music. What surprised me was the experience of being transported and entranced for nearly an hour at a stretch by the power of a performance.

In this life of multitasking and speedsurfing with the remote, I’m out of the habit of sitting in an auditorium experiencing a concert.  I used to go to lots of live performances in decades past.  Heck, my first husband was a professional musician and listening to live music was just another day at the office for both of us.  It wasn’t unusual to see five or more live performances a week – sometimes five or more major freaking headliners.

But that was another life. In this one, I found myself in the unusual position of being mesmerized for long stretches of time, as Naturally 7 ensnared me in a theatrical spell.  OK, I noticed when the music and the message underscored some of the reasons we brought  Naturally 7  to Grand Bahama, mentally checking off little boxes on the grant report.  But largely my consciousness simply floated off on a cloud of sound.

I now add ”distracting entertainment” to the list of things I’m doing for myself this year.  I have allowed myself to get so busy that it’s been a long time since I made it a point to go to a concert or play and be entertained in a way that takes me out of my head and resonates in my heart. 

It’s indescribably enjoyable to lose one’s self in a virtuoso performance. Ooooh, I have a long list of memorable ones.  (Please feel free to share a time that being in the audience was a transporting experience for you. I’m curious about the range of favorites among those of you who are in this little community of readers.)