Gratitude

A former voice teacher sent me a wonderful quote last week:

"Every day I remind myself of all that I have been given. With singing, you never know when you are going to lose the voice, and that makes you appreciate the time that you have when you are still singing well. I am always thanking God for another season, another month, another performance." ~Luciano Pavarotti

Sometimes, even though I love singing, practicing can be a little frustrating. Especially when I'm trying to work out a technical bug or things don't sound just as I want yet or maybe I'm just low energy and "don't feel like it", it can require a little motivation. But remembering what a gift this is to be able to sing, to have that joyful opportunity, and realizing that it is ephemeral gives me that boost I need. Someday, I know I'll give anything for the chance to sing one more time like I can now. And that knowledge is a gift in itself, a way to be grateful and fully present in the moment.

Do you have anything that you just love to do and that you realize is a potentially fleeting gift?

~Hope