Many voices

Jul 2, 2006

With Erin and the girls in Cleveland for a bit (family wedding, family picnic and more), I’m busy around the house, planting a new herb garden, cleaning out junk drawers—a new junk drawer appears each summer, it seems—and catching up on my personal projects. I’m also exercising, shopping and mopping floors. I’m keeping busy.

This afternoon I met a neighbor, Gabe, for dim sum at the always-busy-on-Sunday China One. Gabe’s a new father, and so we talked about the sleep habits of babies, moms and new fathers. With a empty house of my own, I fell asleep early last night and woke later than normal. Now I remember why Gabe might have complaints about the departure of a good night’s sleep.

On the way home, I listened to the repeat of this weekend’s Prairie Home Companion, on which Garrison Keillor mentions the joys of singing in harmony. That was a cue for the Wailin Jennys to sing their beautiful song One Voice

This is the sound of voices two
The sound of me singing with you
Helping each other to make it through
This is the sound of voices two

This is the sound of voices three
Singing together in harmony
Surrendering to the mystery
This is the sound of voices three

At John Carroll University, Mike Thomas and I used to harmonize on the Star Spangled Banner in the echoing stairwell of our dormitory, Dolan Hall. Mike went on to win the Danny Boy contest one St. Patrick’s Day, and then to sing with the choirs of the Cleveland Orchestra and Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

With time on my hands yesterday, I visited the Carrboro Farmers Market. I was looking for blackberries to make jam, but didn’t find any, so I bought leeks, tomatoes, a cantaloupe and plums, and for my herb garden Greek oregano, French rosemary and Thai basil. From the market I went to meet another friend, Badi Bradley—his wife, Luisa, is in Colombia for a week—and we went to watch the Portugal-England game at Talullas.

I’ve watched a lot of soccer these past weeks. I haven’t had a favorite team—I like to watch good soccer. When I heard that Wailin Jennys song today, it crystallized my joy in watching the World Cup this summer. I love to watch soccer that shows harmony, with players crisply passing to each other, effortlessly trapping the ball, fluidly moving toward the goal. Good soccer is poetry in motion, harmony in color.

Brazil is known as a team that brings joy to their playing. Yesterday, though, it was France that was singing.

Anton Zuiker ☄