“Platte River Symphony,” 9″ x 6,” Gouache, Copyright © 2016 by Donna Lyons
“Creating Life’s Score”
By Marty Coffin Evans © 2023
Several months ago, I read beautiful comments written by a woman about her late musician husband. She wrote eloquently about his work as a symphony.
It started me thinking. I wondered how our own lives would be remembered musically or otherwise.
If we created our own symphony, or at least our life’s score what would it contain. We all play a part in creating such a score. Would we carry the melody? Would we add the harmony? Would ours be lyrical? Hauntingly beautiful? Bombastic? The answer is probably, all of the above depending on our life’s circumstances or experiences.
Then again, what about tempo. Would ours be fast or slow? What about the volume? Might we blend the tempo with volume?
Perhaps our lives have varied the fast tempo with loud “notes.” Or, most likely, there have been slow, soft, melodic, reflective times. Alternating tempo and sound may reflect certain aspects of our lives both the most wonderful and cherished along with the sad, plaintive times.
On occasion, we might have been creating the more discordant portions of our life’s score. Blending and intermingling with the “notes” of others could well have broadened our own symphony.
Most likely, our life’s score will involve interacting with others. Much as musical scores involve the interplay of parts, so too does our life. Unless ours is a solo version only, mixing, matching, and blending with others creates that life score.
Compositions from our childhood may vary from those in our different adult years. A recurring theme may yet emerge in this score.
How will our life’s score be played and enjoyed by others? Will we smile at those last notes? Will we be pleased?
June 2025