#164. Appreciating

Having heard savvy sayings like “You’ll never appreciate what you had until it’s gone” throughout my life I have come to realize the absolute truth in those words. But maybe those powerful words ring true now more than ever. It had been 464 days – 11,136 hours – since I stood in front of a band like the old days: no mask, no shield, no plexiglass, no cavernous space between me and the players who were now back to semi-circular rows with a few feet between them rather than straight rows with twelve feet of separation that caused a “band” of 16 students to fill a gymnasium sized room! I was as nervous as I was excited. I actually questioned if I would remember what to do. This “new” experience was amazing. As I heard the first sounds of the rehearsal I couldn’t stop smiling, welling up with tears, and almost trembling with joy. It was fantastic. It was surreal. Each of us – and every one of our students – have had that experience, or soon will, and I’m guessing that at that moment you too will remember any number of adages like, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” and realize the breathtaking wisdom and insight of those words in a deeply personal and profound way.

Peter Loel Boonshaft, Director of Education
KHS America