First thoughts

Where to begin? As a singer, the answer to that question unsurprisingly comes to me in the form of a song. The song "Do, Re, Mi" from the Sound of Music - Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start... Well, there isn't really a beginning. I think I'll start with the title. Why "My Prairie Renaissance"? I was having a conversation with a dear friend a few days ago and I told her that I was starting to do some writing and really enjoying myself. I am trained as a classical singer and have been cobbling together a living doing teaching, singing and now writing. And I did consider it cobbling. No linear career path for me. Until my friend said to me "You're a real Renaissance woman." It struck a real chord with me. I'd been looking at this all wrong. My life isn't dominated by one over-riding thing anymore. My life is a quest to be whole. To be a good parent, a good wife, a good friend, a good daughter, a singer, a teacher, a writer, an activist, a fitness enthusiast, a dog momma, a cat momma....and the list goes on. I always felt that this made me less. Less focused. Less ambitious. Less passionate. Now I realize the opposite is true. My ambitions are too small to be contained by one label. I guess if I had to apply any label to myself it would be "artist" - because artists tend to defy being labeled! I have so many passions in my life, so many goals and dreams to fulfill. I want to be a well-rounded human being with a sense of balance in my life. So, a Renaissance woman. Hm. Cool. The word Renaissance is from the French and it literally means, a re-birth. This is very significant to me. A year ago when we discovered that my father-in-law had terminal lung cancer, we made the decision to pull up stakes and come home. Alberta bound. A new beginning for us all. This year was also the year I turned 40 - a milestone. I returned to the place of my birth, and indeed have been experiencing a re-birth. Messy, painful, frightening, joyful, and ultimately transformational.