On Becoming
A journey through both darkness and light
Monday: The day voted most likely to make you want to stay in bed
Moxie: Confidence, determination, force of character
Monday Moxie: A tiny spark of “Go get ‘em!” curated by yours truly to help you get your day (even a Monday) off to a good start
November feels like the beginning of our descent into the dark half of the year. This is especially true in the states where we just shortened our days by turning the clocks back for daylight savings.
It seems like just a moment ago my daily walks were alight with the fiery colors of fall foliage — brilliant reds, yellows, and oranges set off like glowing jewels against shadowy aubergine, deep rust, and endless shades of darkening green. Now, the fallen leaves crunch underfoot, their colors fading to an almost monochrome palette the color of old bones.
This is the time of year when all the natural world seems like an invitation to reflect on the fleeting and fragile nature of life. It’s a time to pause. A time to go within.
In that spirit, I offer you a different kind of Monday Moxie. This beautiful orchestral piece by pianist and composer Ludovico Einaudi is called “Divenire,” which — in Einaudi’s native Italian — means “to become.”
It may seem counterintuitive to contemplate the idea of becoming during the season of dying and decay, but there is untold creative power in surrendering our striving and sinking back into ourselves.
While the opening of this song feels slow and somber, the movement ultimately makes me feel a sense of opening and even of flight. Each time I listen to it, my heart fills with both hope and longing.
I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do, and I would love to hear what story it tells you.
Divenire
℗ 2006 Ludovico Einaudi
Orchestra: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Robert Ziegler
Producer, Recording Producer, Associated Performer, Piano: Ludovico Einaudi
Studio Personnel, Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer: Michael Seberich
Composer: Ludovico Einaudi
Yes! Beautiful. A sense of climbing and bursting out and soaring. Makes me smile. Perfect for a November Monday.
What a wonderful surprise to hear Ludovico Einaudi here - I love his music! I saw him in concert a few years ago and it was an extraordinary experience. How perfect to pair this with your reflection on autumn. There is a beautiful softness to his music that pairs perfectly with the softness of the autumn air. Both have such a unique quality.
It's interesting to think of autumn as a time of becoming. When fewer leaves clung to trees in Connecticut when I lived there, I would often wonder if they were coming to life rather than going dormant. The trees looked dabbled with an artist's brush - ready to fill in. Thank you for the beautiful post!