Ah, those halcyon days in the Before Times! I used to go to Lyon, France, each summer for a Voice Intensive, and eat well, drink good wine, commune with international colleagues, teach, play and sing. That particular summer of 2019 was a challenging one; my 30 year marriage had just ended and I spent a lot of time trying to remind myself of what mattered in my life. The singing and teaching were a refuge at the time, as was writing this blog. And every day that I was in Lyon that August, I walked up this massive flight of stairs to the Conservatoire where our lessons and concerts were held. In the heat. I’d often stick to the shadows as I went, and tried to choose times of day where the steps wouldn’t be in full sunlight (brutal). I’d often have to stop partway up just to breathe, take a sip of water and generally collect myself. Those steps became a metaphor.
Fast forward to second term of my last year teaching at Laurier. I am still reminding my students about “The Steps”. To some degree, the steps suck. The steps can be steep and they can be slow. Sometimes you trip. Sometimes they leave you breathless and just plain tuckered out. We’d like to skip the steps altogether if we could. But the fact is, that if we follow the steps with intention, with focus, we get where we need to go. And though you can’t see it from this photo, the view on the way up can be spectacular. And you also get to see how far you came (and you remember what the work was too. One step at a time).
Sure, I guess you could take an elevator, or drive in the car, or just not go.
But is that why we’re here, allegedly dedicated to the work? For it to be without effort, without trial, without examination? The less effective choice will always be the easier one. To take the quick out, to check the FB or Insta feed, to lie on the couch, to cheat, to dissemble. The choice that involves effort (and ultimate reward) will always feel harder to make. But when we put in the work, done well, done methodically, FOLLOWING THE STEPS, we make progress. And that progress feels GOOD.
Trust me. I know what it’s like not to do the steps. I know what it means to check out, to go easy. But it doesn’t feed me. I have learned this time and again. The only way out is through. Follow the steps.