I have never learned to play an instrument…unless a radio counts. I have always admired jazz and been astounded how one piece of music can have so many versions. Jazz musicians do not merely repeat a piece of music, they interpret it. I was thinking about this as news filtered in that a wonderful jazz pianist, Mulgrew Miller, had suffered a stroke. I then wondered, is it possible to take a page from the jazz songbook, to take a cue from the great jazz legends, and consider taking a different interpretation to this thing called living?
We often hear the cliche, That’s open to interpretation. A phrase that connotes that there is more than one way to look at the information or opinions presented. What I am advocating for is not a narrow practice of interpretation but rather the idea of being wide open, to be a little daring, to be a little more available to the various approaches to say handling a situation or working with someone—even living our own lives. The prescribed and expected approach to opinions and perspectives keep some of us shy in expression. Keeps some of us from playing with the notes that are on the page.
It is important for us to remember that our interpretations—while perhaps not always stellar—are ours and ours to honor. Today is a lovely Sunday—a day to turn on the music and enjoy the reverberations of those cords—and perhaps it is a day for you to approach something in life with a new interpretation.