Phrasing: Drive Safely

As those of you who follow my blog already know, my dad was a renowned teacher of musicianship.  That means whenever I practiced the piano, he felt compelled to interrupt.

I will always remember his frequent admonition, “Phrasing.  Color each phrase.  Make each phrase interesting.  Crescendo.  Diminuendo.  There are no throw-away phrases.  Pay attention to each one.”

My father’s advice on phrasing has become a metaphor for my life. It’s one I’ve written about before because it applies to so many different aspects of living well. Ultimately my father’s emphasis on phrasing was his way of encouraging me to pay attention to each moment.

This is especially important when driving.  I am thinking of this as during the past few weeks California has been inundated with rain. Many parts of the state have been flooded, and driving is hazardous. As I have told each of my six children since they were old enough to drive a car (and legally imperil both me and themselves), “Driving is the single most dangerous activity we engage in often.  If you daydream in class for an hour, your grade might suffer.  If you daydream while driving, even for a few seconds, you could be dead, or worse.”

My dire warnings seem to have worked for my children and also for me.  None of us have ever been involved in a serious auto accident.  In fact, the only three moderately serious auto accidents I’ve been in were each caused by the other driver who was in a hurry and not paying attention. Each turned left directly in front of me – without signaling.  Crash.  Thank goodness for mandatory seat belts, and the fact that I drive slowly and carefully, now more than ever.

So at the beginning of a new year let’s give a nod to my dad, who shared with me many really good ideas, and keep our lives, and the lives of others, both interesting and safe.

Better living through phrasing.

Alan