Anchors A-Weigh

As January comes to a close, I am looking forward to the possibilities of the rest of 2010.

Here's what's up right now:

I am teaching voice and piano lessons, auditioning locally, starting a fitness/yoga club, and enjoying bonding time with my Gracie Lou. (see pic)


So what's with the picture of the boat?


My deep thoughts for the day(Actually, these are thoughts that occurred late last night while trying too hard to fall asleep):



An anchor is something that carries weight, or weighs you down, plants you in one place or situation. A negative connotation implies being stuck, perhaps permanently to one thing or person. An anchor drags you down....or maybe not.

I'm afloat in a small boat on a slightly breezy and beautiful sunny day. I'm anchored up near shore at a shallow depth of about 3 feet. While I enjoy basking and floating, I trust that my boat won't stray from where I put it.

And yet, it does drift with the waves, however far the anchor will allow.

A pivotal point.

The anchor, providing stability, gives freedom to the vessel within a certain radius.

OK...I'm not trying to come up with some New Age religiophilosophical mess...but...


Those of us who, so far, lead seemingly transient lives, understand the longing for this anchor.

Is it a Place?

Is it God?

Money? A Person?

A mission or quest?

A true artist might claim that the art itself it sufficient. BUT! For a performer, those moments of artistic bliss are, by nature, fleeting.

So what do we do?

I've found my anchors at times to exist mostly in people. A place can be an anchor for a time, but that place changes when the people that make that place special are no longer there. And, since I have moved to a different place nearly every year I was away from home, I know that a place is not my reliable anchor.

[Side: There are cities that provide more of an anchor than others, like New Orleans or Paris, because they have enough character and charm and music and art and history to create a lifetime love affair. The anchoring effect lasts even though you yourself are not there.]

Of course, we all know that people themselves change, too. So, that's out. And what one person would want the responsibility of being that point you pivot around? Then again, there's that opposite and equally enforced idea that people DON'T change. Depends on context, I suppose.

One type of anchor is not necessarily better than another. Perhaps God would be the most obvious and best choice. But we are not perfect, and we ourselves are not reliable vessels. Due to the many stages of faith, often described as a journey, a sense of faith alone would be a difficult, often wavering anchor.

So I ask again, what do we do? Where can we, the transient, look for that anchor? Is it a combination of all of the above? Can we, the artistic vessel, through our conviction and passion for our craft, provide an anchor within ourselves?

Obviously, I don't know the answer yet. Maybe this stuff just figures itself out? All this thinking made me hungry, so I'm getting a snack for now. Let me know what you think.