In Between Notes

"Music is the space between the notes." - Claude Debussy

We often see and understand things by connecting dots, joining one landmark to another to form one interconnected whole.

In music, we know a song by its different parts, which we bring together to form the piece. In life, we see it as one big strand of experiences with different stages - from childhood to adulthood to old age.

But seeing music or life (no difference between the two really) ONLY in this manner robs us of the very thing we were trying to grasp in the first place. If we focus only on getting from point A to point B, what's the point? We end up with a collection of notes and events that we never fully experienced because we were too busy finding the next dot.

The real essence of life and music is what's in between those dots. It's the things we can't pinpoint exactly but know deep inside are really there. It's in that millionth of a second pause in between notes in music and it's what we we do each day that counts the most.

It's a call to look at things deeper and live in the moment. As that famous saying goes, it's the journey and not the destination. If we focus too much on creating that one big picture, we lose sight of the colors and lines and fine details that make it come alive.

Live in the moment and cherish what's in between.

"Music is the thousandth of a millisecond between one note and another; how you get from one note to the other - that's where the music is." - Isaac Stern