El Día de San Valentín

First of all, happy birthday to Rob Thomas, Freddie Highmore, Keeley Aldean (Jason Aldean's daughter) and ME!



Four years ago we danced on grass and cement in the city park on Fruitland Drive.  The music was loud in our ears.  He looked at me and smiled.  I wore what I was sure was the most attractive shirt I owned and a pair of jeans.  He flicked a blade of grass off his sleeve.  His eyebrows raised as a new song started.
"Shall we dance?" he asked, holding out his hand.
After the song had been played we left the crowd and threw grass at each other (green-yellow grass that stuck in our hair and shoes) to our hearts' content.
There was a last song, a shy inquiry, a giddy goodbye.

My sanctuary is the piano room in the music building.  Sitting alone in a soundproof room with no noise but the music I'm making is the best thing I can do to relax after a long few days of mental and emotional stress.  The music I play is fairly easy--it has to be, since I never became a virtuoso--and it lets my mind take a break from everything else.  For me, playing piano or guitar is better than crying.