The change of season can be a blessing and a curse. As musicians, it is so important for us to find balance in our daily lives. This can be the difference between continuing to do what we love because we love it and allowing what we love to become work. Sometimes a change of pace or stepping outside of our daily routine can bring renewed motivation and joy back to our art and can help us to grow as musicians and human beings. Music is about teamwork, trust, faith, and can run the entire gamut of emotions. Use the change of season to get back in touch with these aspects of our musical endeavors.
This month I had the pleasure of doing a Warrior Dash with some old friends and made some new friends along the way. 
Pictured with me to the right are Liz Woolfolk and Lauren Carr (you will meet her later). Liz and I served as flutists in the Army and met back in 1999 during some of our initial training. We performed many concerts together all around Europe, spent countless hours making music and exploring different cultures on our tours. Lauren Carr works for Flute Authority and we met at a National Flute Association Convention several years ago. Lauren is one of the many talented technicians who keep my flute in top shape when it goes in for its seasonal check up.
We decided several months ago to do the Warrior Dash that was being held in Southern Maryland. Considering members of our group live in Ohio, Maryland, Michigan, and Iowa, this trip took a great deal of planning. Lauren brought a fellow technician, Lee Hirschmann, from the Baltimore area, and Liz brought her big brother, Billy Woolfolk, a former Marine, from the Michigan. For those who don’t know what a Warrior Dash is, it is a 5k mud run that involves obstacles, not unlike what Liz, Billy, and I experienced during our time in the military. The event raises money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. People from all walks of life and various levels of fitness come out to get dirty, have fun, and challenge themselves. As we ran the course, we stayed together as a team, helping and cheering each other along the way. I was amazed and overjoyed to see that this supportive and positive aura was not just confined to our team but was present all over the course. Seeing others extending helping hands to complete stranger and hearing the cheers as a young lady with some physical challenges ran the course with her two assistants. I was inspired!
I encourage everyone to step out of their comfort zone and do something different, something inspiring, something positive. Take a chance, make a change and build your team. This world is so crazy these days but for a couple hours I crawled through mud, cheered for people I didn’t know, and took part in something bigger than myself. Give it a shot because your challenge could become someone’s inspiration!
