A Hobby of ones Own

I have just got back from my weekly rehearsal at the Choir I sing in here in Cairo.  My weekly Tuesday rehearsal is something I look forward to each week.  I have sung in a fairly mediocre way since I was at school and it has been something I have loved doing ever since.

To those who are addicted to singing in a choir, I need not explain why it is such a life enhancing thing.  But for those who aren't there is something almost magical about learning a new piece of music, practicing it until you think you can practice no more and finally, you hope, becoming part of a choir which sings with one voice.  At at its very best, you can achieve moments of such joy, when the whole choir is breathing, thinking and singing as one living creature, which it is near to ecstasy 

For quite a few years, because of family commitments, I hadn't been able to go along and sing regularly and had given in up.  And now that it is back in my life I realised how important it is in particular and how important having some sort of hobby is in general.

While I am at choir, I can recapture the enthusiasm and passion for doing things that somehow has got a bit lost along the way.  It is is an activity which has nothing to do with work or family, which is just my own.

So, with apologies to non singers, here are my ...

Five Postive Things About Singing ......

1. At the end of a really good sing your brain is left dancing and alive
2. Learning to breathe to support and sustain brings benefits outside of singing
3. Singing in a choir is a wonderful way to connect with people who share your enthusiasm
4. If you can feel confident to make an entry confidently, find its wrong, lead your whole section astray, and still go back for more, you can tackle most things in life
5. When you perform your family can see you in a whole new light, with talents of their own

Persephone In Cairo