Out of practice

Our garage project is getting closer to being done. The rest of the drywall will be installed on Sunday, then finished soon after. I'm amazed at how long this whole process is. It was last July that I first contacted Make-A-Wish, and I think the project might just be finished in less than a year. It's mainly the construction work, which is our responsibility which has taken up the time. We originally thought that MAW would pay for the work, but when we found out they wouldn't, it took us a while to get a plan of action. Anyway, with a lot of help, we are now on the brink of seeing it come to fruition!

My recent promotion, in combination with the changing dynamic (pardon the pun) at work, is causing me some stress. I enjoy the challenge, but at the same time am burdened by fears that I am not quite meeting that challenge. I am more prepared for rehearsals more of the time, but not always. These last few weeks we are playing very difficult music--Nielsen's 6th symphony and Bruckner's 8th. Even with practice time, I feel myself struggling. I need to make more time to practice and also let go of the tension which is causing my muscles to seize up. I've been having some trouble with my reflexes--the connection from my eyes to my brain to my hands is not smooth. I suspect that stress is the culprit. My stressors are not likely to go away, so I need to find a way to live with them in peace. I've set aside some time next week to get away, and I plan to use some of that time to sleep, meditate and practice.