Life is a series of improvisations

Yesterday I heard myself tell a friend, "Life is a series of improvisations." It was in response to talking about having to go with the flow of whatever is going on. How many times have had thought you had something planned out, only to find that it never went as you expected?

Well, sometimes this can be a good thing.  Sometimes I'm on the job playing music for someone and something unexpected happens and a door to a new experience comes instead. That's what happened the other day.

I was playing music for two nursing home residents in their room when suddenly, two elderly women burst through the door. Immediately upon hearing the song, "Simple Gifts," they began to twirl and dance around the room.   When I saw how much fun they were having, I followed up with, 'You Are My Sunshine," and they sang and danced and laughed some more.  After that song, they twirled out the door and I was left thinking, "What just happened?" That was fun!

Inspired by their dancing, I put down my guitar and started to sing and dance to the song, "Wade in the Water."  Most of  you know that wonderful  African American Spiritual. What is great about it is that you can improvise new verses. I'd sing,

"Now who are those children dressed in blue?
must be someone I thought I knew...
who are those children dressed in green?
going to a place they've never seeen
who are those children dressed in black?
going to the Promised Land and never coming back...
God's gonna trouble the water...."

The song came to mind out of a nowhere, it seemed and now I can't stop singing it. I wonder what will happen the next time I go sing for them?

The picture above is an illustration of Wade in the Water