A Random Disgusting Thought About Saxophone Reeds.

Sax reeds ...

1. I walk around with a sax reed in my mouth for much of the day.

2. I have what feels like the beginning of a head cold.

What do these two things have to do with each other? 

I’m forever breaking in new reeds, with the hope of finding a pearl in the dirt.  Well, I think I found it.  This morning I was breaking in a Vandoren Java 3 ½ .  A really nice reed. As with any reed, I tend to walk around with it, hanging from my lower lip, from which I take it and suck the extra saliva from it, then turn it over (gross, I know, but it has to be done). 

Anyway, in my rush to use the restroom before my saxophone student arrived, I stepped into the men’s room with said reed dangling from my lip.  As I stood there I thought to myself,

“What if I sneeze right now, and this reed would fall into the commode?”

 

What a quandary!  Would I fish the thing out and wash it? Would I forget about it and flush?   Like I said, it’s a REALLY NICE REED. 

What would you do?

Very Blessed, Indeed

Yesterday morning we had a fire in our furnace.  It's alright, because we were able to escape to safety, and, aside from a bit of smoke inhalation, no one was injured.  The furnace can be repaired quite easily.  Besides, it isn't our house - we're just renting it temporarily until we repair our home, which was severely damaged by flood waters at the beginning of September.  The flood damage, too, can be repaired.

No matter what my woes - trashing a bunch of ruined furniture and appliances, wearing soot covered clothing, having my pay docked because I took time to clean my flooded house, driving a car that doesn't have a bumper or windshield wipers - they pale in comparison to other people's problems.

All of my current problems can be repaired.

My friends just lost their baby boy, only a few days old.  Their heartbreak cannot be easily repaired.
Another dear friend lost her husband last night.  Her heartbreak cannot be easily repaired.
A dear friend from work lost his battle with leukemia.  His students' grief and heartbreak cannot be easily repaired.

The next time I think about whining and complaining because my car needs more duct tape or my socks smell like kerosene, I hope I will consider others and their troubles, and consider myself very blessed.  Yes, very blessed, indeed.