By Deems Tsutakawa For The North American Post
Like many people across the country, I have lost work due to the coronavirus and the restrictions it has forced on our nation. Many establishments that have live music have been ordered to shut down for an unspecified length of time. Hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, airlines, movie theaters, concerts, and even golf courses have closed their facilities until further notice. Sporting events and concerts of all kinds have been cancelled or delayed like the NCAA basketball tourney and the NBA season. I am a big sports fan when it comes to basketball, football, and golf. I missed seeing these events for awhile, however, just lately it has actually become a blessing to not be hooked on keeping up with ‘who’s in first place’, like it really matters anyways. I suppose if you had some money on the games, you would need to pay attention, however, that is not my calling.
The downtime has actually been amazing. Besides cooking great foods and golfing with my friends (Washington State golf courses have remained open unlike in California), we rebuilt the stairs on our back yard deck and added a railing. The new railing makes it much safer for us and our guests. Instead of watching sports, we have seen some really good movies and science shows. I have had more time for exercise, yoga, meditation, and playing with the dog. The most important thing that has brought me back to my senses and centered my spirit is piano playing with a sense of purpose. Writing new music and practicing on a concert level is very rewarding. The fact of having many cancelled gigs also means not having to concern myself with what the audience, shoppers, patrons, club owners, and booking agents want me to play and what they want to hear. Life is at times spectacular and for me, this is one of those times.
