Now, some of you may be wandering where the inspiration for the title came from. When I was younger, my grandmother, Gigi, bought me a book titled My Symphony, the one with the poem by William Henry Channing and illustrations by Mary Engelbreit. She said that the book always reminded her of me, and the older I get the more and more I appreciate the beauty of such a simple book. It has become a symbol for what I aim to be and how I try and approach life.
For those of you who have yet to see it, here it is:
My Symphony
To live content with small means;
To seek elegance rather than luxury,
and refinement rather than fashion;
To be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich;
To study hard, think quietly,
Talk gently,
Act frankly;
To listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart;
To bear all cheerfully,
Do all bravely,
Await occasions,
Hurry never.
In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common.
THIS IS TO BE MY SYMPHONY
-William Henry Channing
With this simple, yet so important, philosophy in mind, I embark on a new adventure... and I can't wait to see what it has in store.
Across the Pond I go....
