Minding the Silence

It's so easy to miss those tiny notations of silence sometimes. Afterall, aren't the notes the most important things to pay attention to?

Rests are so.... slight... so abstract. These squiggles, dashes and numbers that dictate silence in a score demanding that we delay sound for less than a blink or sometimes much much more.

You learn to anticipate well

You learn to anticipate well and perhaps learn how to make the notes meaningful. What? You don't only have to work on mastering notes but you have to master the silence that punctuates the sound too?

Yes.

Else you step into a space not meant for you... else you ring out a note into a space that makes the harmony muddled and create dissonance... else you step into the void and find that everyone will be joining you in 4 more bars and you get to embarrass yourself.

What's the point of trading solos if you can't mind your silence? How moving can the music be can be if we "played" the rests well?

Some thoughts to play with.

JNET
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If I Hadn't Been in the Habit of Writing...

If I hadn't been in the habit of writing about my world, would I have realized that it is so grand?

Troubled times lends to tunnel vision and I've managed to keep my spirits flying, creativity dancing, and hope still growing despite skirting sadness and strife from neighboring kindgoms, war and deceptions across the river and feeling the momentary weariness that overwhelms me during random seconds of time.

If I hadn't been in the habit of writing, would I have realized that I look at life as poetry, as a dance as well as a sonata? And if I hadn't been in the habit of writing, would I had been able to refer to favorite memories, snippets of conversations that made me all the wiser and see that I have a kingdom of people beside me and before me making the world I experience a magnificent and special place.

Would I had been able to see that I slay dragons and host festivals? Visit wonderlands and weather storms? And see that life never has a boring moment when you play with words, notes, and pictures before an audience of kindred spirits that span the world over.

If I hadn't been in the habit of writing, would I have realized that my solitudes blesses me with creativity and strength and not a day goes by without my recognizing that I am loved and respected enjoying the spaces of my silence to reflect on how amazing the whimsical and revered adventure is. Writing and poetry, dance rehearsals and a few seasons with a ladies Bible study, paced onto travels to foreign lands, podcasting an internet radio show, photoshoots with Candy Wax Cutie and a Toastmasters Club in Toluca Lake.

And if I hadn't been in the habit of writing, would I have realized that as I am a musician, a dancer, a poet; so is everyone? Everyone has a song, a poem and knows when something moves them. And perhaps if they also wrote...

Would they see how grand their world is too?

jnet

The Art of Listening

JNET: "Listen for your mistakes. You're to see if you can find them first and fix them before I must point them out to you."

XYZ: "Why don't you just stop me right away if I make a mistake?"

JNET: "I think it is a slower way to learn; to stop at every single mistake."

If we were to stop at every single mistake then I wouldn't be able to point at a pattern of mistakes. And yet it happens, my student will play a sequence of notes and then hit a screaming halt where we listen in silence; their big eyes staring at me for direction and validation.

JNET: "You know how to read music. Read the note."

Sometimes the students stares further, begging for a quick answer. The gap of silence grows and I sit with it. I don't care. Thinking shouldn't have to be something awkward to be avoided. I invite my student to think. I have to get literal on them. Tell them to look at the paper and think. I also raise a paper to cover my face.

XYZ: "Just tell me!"

JNET: "That would be too easy. You know how to get to the answer and you want me to support you to be lazy. Come now. You are not a lazy person. Are you? Anyway, stop staring at me for the answer. Are there notes on my face?"

It takes a lot of patience to listen to mistakes. Teaching a student to be patient with their own self so that they can anticipate where their mistakes comes from is a lesson on self-awareness that a 6 year old can grasp yet a 16 year old may stumble over.

XYZ: "Wait... wait... don't tell me. I got it under control."

JNET: "Sure you don't want me to point to the notes for you."

XYZ: "No pointing! I can handle this."

Sweet words from a mindful student. If you can listen to yourself and modify mistakes. If you can think for yourself and master a new piece, what in life can stop you for expressing something beautiful and on purpose?

There more to music lessons than notes.

JNET

Please Bring Me Flowers and Leave Your Broken Heart At the Door

I threw a sweet little funny valentine party, my response to the anti-valentine, jaded love sentiment. Think homeroom with Miss JNET.

I wanted to host an event that engendered HOPE. Hope is something that 7 year olds have in ready supply. Its another story for many once they exit high school .

Was it the candy grams and little cards of school life that sustained our delicate hearts before we hit college and work? Is it the love and security that we received from parents that leaves us feeling lost after flying the nest?

How's a person to navigate in a world that they think is cold?

Chop wood and make a fire!

In other words, work and create it.

I want hope in my life, happiness, and joy and so I design it. Every person, every hour, every conversation becomes a mindful choice... as well as UNchoice. Where the vision of hope, happiness and joy becomes blurry or thwarted on purpose, I let go. I leave it outside my house.

But inside my house, Valentines evening.... I'm serving candy hearts and cocktails. And my friends are writing little cards to one another. The nightmare dating story didn't have room to be indulged when there are more defining things to consider like good friends who have hope and like to laugh.

What to do when the world seems cold?

Chop wood and make a fire.... create the warmth.

JNET

Her Hello To Be Mean-Spirted

Fortunately, it is a rare occurence for I'd rather write of the exciting things that are coming down the pipeline of jnetsworld. But recently, I was surprised to have a guest hello put smugly on my facebook wall. Friends checked in... and my mother called.

I decided to check out www.urbandictionary.com for the meaning of my name since it was the novel status update of the moment that my friends were playing up. My friend, BT, complained that his stood for British Telecom, Bible Thumper or Bong Tokes for lack of a colorful meaning. Mine on the other hand was a fun one and so I posted it.

JNET: A beautiful, sexy, and intelligent woman. Unique. DON'T let her go once shes yours. If you have lost her already- get her back. She will prove to be the best in every aspect. Jeannettes like romance, make a standout gesture.. To get what you really want you have to take a chance. Risk it all or lose it all.

Cool, I thought. I liked it and shared. It was met with enthusiasm by my friends and my mom congratulating herself for picking a good name. The innocent fun got a slap by a surprise hello from someone that had never bothered to post anything on my wall ever before. I was taken back.

K decided to take a different voice and drop an unsolicited stink bomb. Nevermind that I never held ill feelings toward her and even thumbs up'd several great photos in her album to celebrate vicariously her happiness. The only thing I could think of was that she was sticking her nose in business that was not hers and rather choosing to discourage any chance of creating further connection.

Her curt comment was upsetting and perhaps that will be her pleasure. I am accustomed to being able to clear communication and confront misunderstandings right away. But what is one to do when an acquaintance who I have less than three conversations a year takes a butter knife jab at me? What do you do with contempt from left field?

FRIENDS: "Get rid of her. What is she doing being counted as your friend? Remove her!"

I am lucky that I have loyal friends to stand by my side immediately. They've been busy making lemonade. Remove her? She's supposed to be like family.

This unfortunately does not bode well for a particular suitor and my enthusiasm to join his family. It was his sister's comment that brought alarm causing my mom to call and ask about it.

Shall I put the blame on impetuous youth? The planets being misaligned? Is Mercury in retrograde? How to forgive this certain transgression? Did I even have a friend remotely in her? Was she full of pretense? Or is she plainly mean spirited? Someone that I wouldn't want around my someday children?

She did afterall proudly introduce herself as a "bitch" to me at her own birthday party. And with this blog entry, I leave her, it, to stand as is, my status update that I thought was fun - disrupted by an energy that I am at a lost in creating a resolution.

Her ways do not make sense to my world. I create art. I want to make life beautiful... not just pretty in the surface.

So what's a negativity slayer to do? How to build a bridge when one finds that the ground one stands on is hostile? Is it wise to grow futures on land that has mines? Is this subtlety indicative of dynamics I need to be mindful of? Doesn't everyone learn the rule that if you have nothing nice to say... say NOTHING? Before kindergarten?

JNET

Here follows the post of a different world crashing up against jnetsworld:

Status update posted on facebook to entertain myself.. placed before 500+ friends, students and colleagues....

JNET: A beautiful, sexy, and intelligent woman. Unique. DON'T let her go once shes yours. If you have lost her already- get her back. She will prove to be the best in every aspect. Jeannettes like romance, make a standout gesture.. To get what you really want you have to take a chance. Risk it all or lose it all.

Jeannette

I like it :)

February 4 at 11:37am

James

Wow. The more I get to know you the more I like... ; )

February 4 at 1:00pm ·

Jeannette

Thanks bro! Send my regards to the phamily :)

February 4 at 1:11pm ·

Kristina

I don't believe in these things. However, I guess it can be entertaining regardless if it's true or completely imaginary.

February 4 at 3:55pm ·

Paula

Re: the post above mine - I don't think anyone really believes urbandictionary.com is going to define them or their personality by their name. It is definitely for entertainment purposes, as are most facebook posts!

February 4 at 4:34pm ·

Kristina

agreed.

February 4 at 6:16pm

Jessie

that's right beezy... Let's not be haters... Love me some jnet.

Sat at 7:29pm ·

Michael

Definition seems to be missing some stuff, like ambition, drive, and huge smiles.

Sun at 11:56pm.