​Holding Up Half the Sky

There are times when you look back and say, “this was a good year.” A year that you remember and smile. This piece is not about one of those years. It was a period in my life when everything and everyone required attention.

No matter which direction I turned, there was another discussion, another decision. In hindsight, it became a time of tremendous learning and growth — of life-changing decisions, resetting, and trying to find momentum again. But at the time, it didn’t feel that way.

I was sitting in the dining room, thinking through everything that had to be done. All you can do is your best and hope it works out. At some point, lost in thought and sipping my wine — a relatively new phenomenon in my life — I put both arms in the air and held them there. My wife looked over and asked what I was doing.

I told her I was “Holding Up Half The Sky,” because the other half had already crashed down on us. We both laughed and continued to drink our wine — and just when we began to relax, the phone rang, and we both put our arms in the air again.

Score: Flute / Harp / Viola / Cello