They say "the days are long but the years are short," and while the phrase contains real wisdom, I find that the more closely you look at a year, the longer it seems to get. 

I’m feeling more grateful than ever for the wilderness all around us. Without question it is imperiled, yet it remains so vital. It stirs me like nothing else. In fact, I am coming to understand that all the music I write arises directly out of this region and its unfathomable splendor.

I'm less afraid of repeating myself these days. I'm less afraid of repeating myself these days. (Sorry, I had to do it.) Maybe when you find the thing you can do again and again without getting bored, that's how you know you’re onto something. For me, without question, that is playing music.

Once again, I'm learning about the importance of adaptability. I envision a project, a trip, an experience, a future, and set about to create it. Reality intrudes. If I am too rigidly stuck to my initial vision, I can miss the wonderful alternatives that come along. I'm trying to remember that, while nothing happens exactly as we expect it to, what happens instead can often be as good or better—if only we allow it to be.