Sometimes it’s a good things to have something stop working.
My dishwasher failed earlier this week. I think it’s terminal, and I’m looking for time to find a replacement. In the meantime, we’re doing everything by hand, completely changing our relationship to the kitchen this week.
You don’t really notice how a tool or practice shapes your life until it stops working.
In the same way, you might not notice the profound influence of that one alto on the ensemble – until they graduate. You might not notice the way an accompanist affects your rehearsal efficiency – until they’re out with pneumonia for a couple weeks. You don’t appreciate your keenly trained hearing until you get an ear infection, or the way your lungs work effortlessly when you sing – until you get bronchitis.
Our lives depend on so many tools, collaborators, and systems working smoothly in the background. It’s almost worth it to have one stop working, as my dishwasher did, just so that we can really appreciate how they help us.
I’m not wishing illness on you, but I am wishing deep perspective on the way the world around you helps.