Category Archives: Reaching In

The “Reaching In” Essays

Reaching In Logo

Lawrence Davis published a blog at lawrence-davis.blogspot.com titled “Reaching In.”  He wrote fourteen essays from November 2011 to September 2013.  Most of them are music-related, but the real emphasis in all his essays is people — their promise, progress and achievements.  In his posts, Lawrence talked about growth and change, frustrations and joys.  When I knew Lawrence as a young man, he would at times turn a cynical eye toward the absurdities of life, but it is hard to detect any cynicism in these writings — remarkable for someone in the “fourth movement” of a long career.  I believe that Lawrence mainly used his blog (and his career) to “celebrate the power of human expression” as he put it.

When we are transported that way by music and human endeavor, it is an evanescent moment.  And when we return to everyday life with its multiple headaches and stresses, I can only hope we bring something back — something that is life affirming — something that proves that, even if it is only a moment, life can be perfect.

from “The Soul Speaks”

Lawrence latched onto such moments of perfection, crystallized them and shared them with us in these essays, of which there are sadly too few.  – CHC

A New Beginning

[ Originally published by Lawrence Davis, September 9, 2013  ]

Wildwood

Last week I spent some time with my sisters Karen and Tamie in beach chairs staring idly at the Atlantic Ocean.  It’s late summer and the beautiful beach at Wildwood Crest, New Jersey, isn’t as populated as it is in the peak of the season. I can think of no more perfect way to unblock the mind and unschedule human endeavor (or my little piece of it, anyway).

I am suddenly struck with a memory—a poem by Lawrence Ferlinghetti titled “Wild Dreams of a New Beginning.” In the poem Mr. Ferlinghetti portrays a huge cleansing wave sweeping across the United States, wiping away all the vestiges of civilization and returning to the wilderness that once existed here.

School will be restarting in a very short time and I am experiencing that moment of hope, faith, and anticipation that precedes each school opening day.  As a student and a teacher, I have experienced 55 years of school openings, and no amount of rational thought and accumulated experience can make that sense of expectation go away. The cycle of school life is driven by the hope of growth and renewal. The subsequent and inevitable deflation comes from the unravelling of our old life.

The growth that comes from learning doesn’t come comfortably. It shakes us. It tears us apart and rebuilds us as different people. It’s a messy business. We let go of our old ideas reluctantly. When the year is complete, we feel spent, exhausted, and defeated.

We are also changed and, in a cruel twist, we may not even notice the change at the time it happens.  Some time needs to pass before we have a chance to step back and gain the wisdom that perspective provides. Perhaps it is that perspective that allows us to dream again of a new beginning. It gives us the courage to let that wave wash over us once again and the faith to believe it will change us for the better.

Lawrence Davis

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This is the last essay that Lawrence posted on his blog “Reaching In.”  It originally appeared at lawrence-davis.blogspot.com. – CHC