A few days ago, I took my clarinet to a music store in Fort Collins and left it there. For good. I donated it to a program that provides instruments for students who otherwise couldn’t afford them. I hadn’t played it in years, but letting it go felt tender — I was saying goodbye to a companion who had traveled with me through long and important chapters of my life.

Since letting go of my old friend, I've been flooded with memories.

My clarinet carried almost sixty years of memories — music, friendships, band camps, concerts, laughter.

Letting it go didn’t erase those things. If anything, it reminded me how alive they still are in me.

What I realized is that I didn't miss my actual clarinet, but making music with others.

And it left me with a quiet question—one I can live into now, in my post-clarinet world:

If what I really miss is making music with others…

What new form might that take?

With Love and Gratitude,

Susan

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