Steps

Almost every day for over two years I would climb the spiral staircase to practice and/or perform on the cathedral’s magnificent pipe organ. The first time I climbed the spiral staircase I wondered how dizzy I would become before reaching the top.

In the winter the cold air gets locked in and I climb quickly to reach the warmer cathedral air. In the summer when it is hot outside, I would take my time in order to breathe in the cool air. Dead flies collect on the window sills until the custodian is reminded of the clutter. Spiders climb on the concrete walls. Lost ladybugs are often seen gathering in small groups or all alone on the sill.

In normal pre-pandemic times the choir would climb up, down, up then down again every Sunday morning and again on Sunday afternoon. As the choir members aged and their voices began to lose strength and pitch, their knees would also lose agility. I believe the choir director was secretly thankful for the gentle way of weeding out the aging singers, avoiding the disappointment of a failed audition.

Three weeks ago I played for my final service at the cathedral, and climbed down the spiral staircase one last time, achieving one more step along the way to simplify my life.