Losing You

          I spent my off time in Memphis last week, where I did a concert with the MRO (which went very well) and rested a bit in my own element. I also caught up with a few people, had a great rehearsal with the Cooper Young Winds, and got a much needed reed session in with a buddy. Every time I go back it's as if time slowed down a little, just so that I wouldn't miss anything while I was gone. It's like the porch I sit on will always be there, the bars we go to will always be serving, and my friends will always be a text message away from coming over. The only down side to being home during the non-summer months is that everyone has to actually go to work, so after I practice and run whatever errands I need, I'm left exploring You Tube for something I hadn't seen before until someone gets home. Last week that search led me to a song by Solange Knowles called "Losing You". 
          Solange is, for the most part, not on my radar. I don't have any specific feelings toward her as an artist one way or another, and quite frankly anything she does is probably going to be overshadowed by her sister. This song in particular, though, is a success in my opinion. Its got all of the workings of something we're used to hearing on the radio, and would be a great song to do a club mix to, but there's something more about it. As soon as I heard it and watched the music video to go along with it, a pang of sadness opened up inside of me that I wasn't at all expecting. Writing a song about losing a loved one isn't at all a new idea, but the way the music and the video came together made me think about some of the eras of my life that are lost. Think about it for a second - all of the fun you had in high school and college is over, and even if you keep in touch with those people, it can never be the same as it was back then. Your relationship with your parents or siblings has even changed since childhood, and can never be the same as it was. If those are life eras that come and go, does that mean the lives we live today are going to be lost? I'm not talking about death, but rather actualyliving life with your current home, friends, loved ones, and career as a memory. Is there going to be an era of my life where my bassoon has been put in its case for good? Or is Memphis going to become a place I used to live? The people I make a point to try and see when I'm home - are they going to just be Facebook acquaintances one day? Even just sitting here and pretending that Andy is "someone I knew once" jerks a tear. I've always said that connected to every hello is a goodbye, but I guess I'd never thought about what happens after that goodbye. Maybe the porch I sit on won't always be there, and maybe my friends won't be a text message away. If the life I live today isn't my last major life era, I can't help but to wonder what the next one will look like. What will I do for work? Who will I sit up late at night with watching Netflix? Who will say to me, "I love you"? 

          Look up the music video for "Losing You" by Solange Knowles and see if this song makes you think about this idea at all.

By the way, I'm not over looking the fashion and artistry of the video itself. I NEED that red Burberry suit!!!