Have you ever had an experience where you’re talking with a person or a group of people (virtually, synchronously, or otherwise) and they never respond to what you say, or they only respond if they have a problem with what you’ve said?

Have you ever thought, “Am I talking to myself? Do they not hear me? Do they not agree with me? Is what I said stupid? Do they not care about me? Do I not belong here?”

Did your heart sink? Did it make you angry? Did you keep thinking about it long after the moment had passed?

Have you ever agonized over trying to find the right words to express yourself only to have your words met with a nauseating silence?

When this happens to me (like it has on several occasions recently), it’s really painful. I truly hope I haven’t inadvertently caused anyone else to feel this way. If I have, I’m sorry.

We are in community with one another, and all of us need to feel seen, heard, and valued by each other. It’s not just about ego. It’s about caring for each other, lifting each other up, and keeping each other mentally and emotionally safe and healthy.

Why don’t we encourage each other more? Why don’t we offer more praise and gratitude for each other? Do we care enough to consistently respond promptly? Do we respect each other enough to consistently show up on time or even show up at all? Do we show our gratitude for one another? Sure, sometimes unforeseen circumstances prevent us from doing so. But what about the “foreseen” times when we fall short?

If we want a better world, we have to cultivate healthier communities and better relationships. The time it takes to more consistently pay undivided attention to each other, show care and gratitude for each other, and act with kindness and consideration in this world is time well invested.

Composition

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been amazed at how much interest there has been in my compositions, especially “Veni Sancte Spiritus” and “Can You See?” I’ve written a bunch of other stuff, too! A list of my works can be found on my website. Here’s the order form to purchase perusals and official scores. My SoundCloud page contains audio samples of many of my original compositions. Here’s a link to a sample of my piece “Umoja.”

A few of my works are not available directly from me. My piece “No Fairy Tale Here,” a tribute to the great writer Ida B. Wells, is published by MusicSpoke.com. For a sample recording, you can click here.

Conducting

At Neighborhood UU Church we are embarking on our first choral project of the year – a virtual choir rendition of the Duruflé Sanctus, with video!! A compilation of individual videos of singers will be mixed and edited into a video that will allow us to virtually “sing together” though we’re apart. Here is the link to the conducting video I made to be used as a guide when singers make their recordings.

Anyone familiar with this piece who wishes to sing with us in our virtual choir is welcome to join us! Virtual rehearsal take place every Thursday at 7:15pm starting this Thursday, August 27. Singers’ videos are due by Friday, September 4th at 5pm. The finished video will be premiered during our Neighborhood UU Church virtual Homecoming service on Sunday, September 13 on Vimeo and Facebook.

Wanna sing “Sanctus” with me? It’s easy! Reply to this post or visit my website at zanaidarobles.com, and use the contact form to let me know you’d like to participate. I’ll send you all the information you need so that you can join us for our virtual choir project.

Singing

I had myself a glory attack! Here’s a preview of a gospel-style recording I made of the Negro spiritual “Over My Head” for an upcoming service at Neighborhood UU Church.

For Fun

I used to joke about how I didn’t like to cook and wasn’t very good at it. But it’s COVID times, y’all! And with encouragement from my bestie Debby, my darling husband Vincent, and my wonderful mother-in-law Karen, I can honestly say I’ve grown to enjoy it! My favorite thing to do is chop stuff, especially celery and carrots. Don’t laugh, but one of my signature dishes right now is instant ramen with sautéed veggies and Trader Joe’s smoked herring. I also make a killer bruschetta with fresh basil, tomatos, and kalamata olives. 

First row: “I discovered black rice!”; Smoked sardines with avocado and salsa over rice; Veggie sautèe and garlic pork soup dumplings over rice; Ramen with smoked herring

Second row: Chopped a bunch of stuff and made a scramble; Smoked salmon ramen; Traditional