I returned to this fine vegan restaurant after several month’s absence duo to the holidays. I particularly enjoy this gig, though I play for tips and a great meal to go (teriaki tofu!!). I sit in the ‘window’ display of an old department store facing the dining area. Frankly, the sound is great without any amplification, and works well for the patrons. Not too loud. 

 

I get the chance to roll through my material, especially some of the older stuff I don’t get to play too often as well as songs I’m still breaking in. And, as with my farmers’ market gigs, I play right through. Today, I started at 11 am, and when I took a break, I asked Esther, the waitress, what time it was and it was 12:57. Phew, time flies. I went back up and did another 20 minutes having made a nice connection with some of the diners. 

 

One gentleman was dining alone and he particularly liked The Barnyard Dance, saying his 2nd grade class would really like that one. I asked where he taught, and it was at a school I had played long ago in the Pocono’s. I gave him two of my CD’s and asked him to see if I could return for an assembly. 

 

He said he was recovering from a car accident and hadn’t been back to school for several weeks. Seems his wife had been killed in the accident and he was grappling with depression. My goodness. We went on to talk about working with kids, the new parameters in testing, his stabs at songwriting, and we had a good conversation. I hoped he would get back in his classroom and, perhaps working with the kids would help him deal with some of the pain, though I can’t imagine what he goes through when he is alone. I said I’d like to hear some of his kids’ songs. 

 

I know that without my music and these opportunities to play for people, I would collapse into my own lonely world. Music is the key to opening up the connections with others, and it’s as necessary as my exercise and meditation, if not more so. 

 

It was a good way to spend a Sunday morning and early afternoon.