Earlier this month, I took a quick weekend trip to Miami to spend time with our Musical Millennial and attend a concert in which he had four arrangements featured. I was so proud!!! That’s Randy Brecker there on the trumpet, playing an arrangement Thomas had done of the Beatles song Blackbird. Be still my heart! Randy Brecker, the world-renowned trumpeter, playing an arrangement of my son’s, was a MOMENT. Here’s an interview with Randy, if you’d like to read more about him. I met him at the cocktail party after the concert, and he was humble, genuine, curious and gracious.
I would say that the concert was the high point of my trip, except that it had many, many high points. Spending time with my son was also enjoyable, soul-satisfying and memorable. I’ve really enjoyed visiting him in Coral Gables during his time at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, where he’s finishing a doctorate in Jazz Studio Arranging.
I also had small amounts of enjoyable and restorative free time, some wandering R&R that allowed me to get back in touch with myself. Alone time while traveling usually does that for me. Sunday morning was the first day of daylight savings time, “falling-backward” gifting me with of plenty of sleep plus an extra hour to explore. I laced up my sturdy walking tennies and strode out into the quiet streets of Coconut Grove to enjoy the morning as the city was just beginning to wake up.
The stand-out impression of my early walk isn’t surprising: it was the colorful street art. Everything is colorful and vibrant in Miami – the people, the cuisine, the culture, the music, the streets, the birds, the buildings, the flowers – everything.
I only took a few pictures because I wanted to soak up the vibrancy and use it to fuel reflection and mindfulness. But I’m so glad that I did, because just looking at these pictures puts me back there on those quiet Coconut Grove streets, where the liveliness was a vivid feast for the eyes even without the crowds and the music.
Check them out!
Part 2 of the magic that morning was a labyrinth walk. Stay tuned!
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