{"id":11164,"date":"2026-03-02T14:05:51","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T22:05:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/calirose.com\/wackyworld\/?p=11164"},"modified":"2026-03-03T08:20:56","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T16:20:56","slug":"cali-rose-mini-blog-thanks-february-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/calirose.com\/wackyworld\/cali-rose-mini-blog-thanks-february-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"CALI ROSE – MINI BLOG & THANKS"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI say to kids when you practice slowly, you will forget slowly. \u00a0In other words, when you practice slowly, it\u2019ll stay with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Itzhak Perlman<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To My Dear Online Ohana!<\/p>\n

I am sending this email to everyone<\/strong> on my elist\u2014that would be six hundred CC Strummers AND you\u2014the other six hundred beating hearts who signed up for my blogs and haven\u2019t heard from me for a year\u2026as if I went into a \u2018witness protection program\u2019 or something.<\/p>\n

Nah\u2014just busy with the music thing<\/em> but I\u2019m really missing our connection in that \u201cbloggy\u201d kind of way. So I\u2019m thinking\u2026let\u2019s try an experiment.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

But first let me catch all of you up\u2026<\/p>\n

My so-called business model for The CC Strummers and my online music work is based on donations only. <\/em>I don\u2019t do Patreon, don\u2019t do pay walls and my friends insist I don\u2019t do business very well either. \u00a0Whatever\u2026 <\/em>But many of you do value what I offer and the time we spend together. \u00a0I\u2019ve been sharing a \u201cthank you\u201d email with The CC Strummers every month because, to tell you the truth, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to make music with you and be part of our warm and supportive community.<\/p>\n

So thank you, my dear CC Strummers, for your February donations and continuing support. \u00a0And a big thanks to the rest of you for showing up for your lives, however that shakes out in your corner of the world.<\/p>\n

🌺<\/p>\n

Now, if you haven\u2019t already guessed, this email is about expressing thanks AND writing a SHORT mini-blog about the stories we tell each other in this crazy life.<\/p>\n

Which brings me to Itzhak Perlman, one of my heroes and teachers (although we have never met and never will). \u00a0As a sick kid and someone who is always dealing with health issues, I watch this guy move through his life with grace and gratitude. \u00a0Think about his relentless challenges, like, just planning how to get from Point A to Point B. \u00a0Still\u2026he\u2019s a joy maker\u2026a music lover\u2026an eighty year old Zen Master.<\/p>\n

It was November 18, 1995<\/span><\/a> when he broke a string on his violin during a performance at Lincoln Center in New York. What a nightmare! \u00a0But apparently it happened.* \u00a0<\/em>For starters let\u2019s remember that a violin ONLY HAS FOUR STRINGS.<\/p>\n

Wanna play make-believe? What if this happened to you? Say, the \u201cG\u201d string breaks on your ukulele\u2026in front of a few thousand people whose expectations are as high as the price they paid for tickets.<\/p>\n

Well, if it was me, I would immediately stop playing, tell my one and only ukulele joke:<\/p>\n

How do you make a million dollars playing the ukulele? \u00a0Start with two million dollars\u2026ha-ha-ha!<\/em><\/p>\n

Wait for someone to bring me a spare instrument and if that doesn\u2019t happen, play a minus-one-string version of Row Row Row Your Boat, <\/em>wave my arms wildly in the air to get the audience to sing along and if that goes well, try it as a round. <\/em>Then say \u201cgood night everybody\u201d and skedaddle.<\/p>\n

But not Itzhak Perlman. \u00a0He pauses for a moment then signals the conductor that the show will go on <\/em>as he continues playing his three string Stradivarius (one would assume).<\/em><\/p>\n

Dude!!!<\/p>\n

He is aptly rewarded with a standing ovation and afterwards says this to the audience:<\/p>\n

“Sometimes it is the artist’s task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Hey! Not everyone is a musician but we\u2019re all human beings. \u00a0Yes there\u2019s that mortality<\/em> thing. Our bodies do their dance then we try chair yoga<\/em>. Our thoughts whirl and wander and go wonky (then maybe we change the subject by remembering to breathe). \u00a0And our dear ones, the sentient beings who populate our lives\u2026well ditto<\/em> for them. \u00a0We\u2019re all on borrowed time.<\/p>\n

And yes there is that ineffable urge<\/em> to keep going, somehow\u2026 \u00a0And just say \u201cthank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

🌺<\/p>\n

*It\u2019s worth noting that the internet is brimming with different versions of this broken-string story and one dissent from snopes.com, saying it probably<\/em> didn\u2019t happen. To be honest, Itzhak Perlman (and other greats) can play beautiful music on three violin strings although that is definitely not preferred. \u00a0But that iconic quote rings mightily true for me, especially coming from a man who truly walks the walk. <\/em>Every single day of his life. Click here<\/a><\/span> to see what I mean.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

🌺<\/p>\n

My friends, I send a weekly email to The CC Strummers which is all about the ukulele, zoom classes and our beloved community. \u00a0If you would like to be added to that list \u00a0 please let me know<\/span>.<\/a><\/p>\n

With much gratitude for your ongoing presence\u2026<\/p>\n

Cali<\/p>\n

P.S. You can email<\/a><\/span> me and\/or leave comments<\/a><\/span> about this blog on my website by clicking here.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Itzhak Perlman, one of my heroes and teachers\u2026he\u2019s a joy maker\u2026a music lover\u2026an eighty year old Zen Master.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11166,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","kt_blocks_editor_width":"","_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[254,253,251,252],"class_list":["post-11164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogentry","tag-music-is-life","tag-musical-inspiration","tag-ukulele-ohana","tag-what-we-do-with-what-we-have-left"],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":2,"label":"blog entry"}],"post_tag":[{"value":254,"label":"music is life"},{"value":253,"label":"musical inspiration"},{"value":251,"label":"Ukulele Ohana"},{"value":252,"label":"what we do with what we have left"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/calirose.com\/wackyworld\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Itzhak-Perlman-joy-thank-you.jpeg",595,640,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Cali Rose","author_link":"https:\/\/calirose.com\/wackyworld\/author\/crbauthor\/"},"comment_info":80,"category_info":[{"term_id":2,"name":"blog entry","slug":"blogentry","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":138,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":2,"category_count":138,"category_description":"","cat_name":"blog entry","category_nicename":"blogentry","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":254,"name":"music is life","slug":"music-is-life","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":254,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":253,"name":"musical inspiration","slug":"musical-inspiration","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":253,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":251,"name":"Ukulele Ohana","slug":"ukulele-ohana","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":251,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":252,"name":"what we do with what we have left","slug":"what-we-do-with-what-we-have-left","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":252,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/calirose.com\/wackyworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11164","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/calirose.com\/wackyworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/calirose.com\/wackyworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/calirose.com\/wackyworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/calirose.com\/wackyworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11164"}],"version-history":[{"count":32,"href":"https:\/\/calirose.com\/wackyworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11164\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11217,"href":"https:\/\/calirose.com\/wackyworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11164\/revisions\/11217"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/calirose.com\/wackyworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/calirose.com\/wackyworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/calirose.com\/wackyworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/calirose.com\/wackyworld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}