Nora Ephron, the creator of Julie & Julia, definitely makes the list for the 'Green Shoots' Award.
Go see the movie, I don't wish to give it away.
It's the account of two people deciding to take life by the horns by embarking on a long-term difficult project, the outcome of which was unknowable. What follows should inspire us all.
I've got one 'Julia Project' underway already: 18-handicap golf, walking the course from the blue tees. Right now, I'm getting close riding from the white or yellow tees, so there is much work to do, but it's pure joy.
And, closer to home, there is the standard volume of the Bach chorales sitting on my piano. What if I could learn to play any three voices while singing the fourth, and take on the whole book? I've toyed with it, and it's not easy. Today I began deliberately, making the morning coffee and visiting with the master before anything else is undertaken.
I begin with #137: 'Was Gott vertraut, hat wohl gebaut.'
Who puts his trust in God most just
Hath built his house securely
G major, just one sharp to deal with, no major departure from the key, and the melody is very simple. This should be doable! After all, I'm a an experienced musician--people pay me for what I do and know in this field.
Five minutes in, I'm totally absorbed, singing one line and playing another. Looks are deceiving, I discover again, with the internal voices (each simple in itself) coinciding to create a complex and subtle whole.
On to my day--bills to pay, forms to fill out, work to do.
That book of chorales stares at me from the piano.
Thanks, Julia, Julie, Norah, and Johann.
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