We all need, from time to time, a gentle reminder. When cruelty and greed dominate the news, when hatred seems to be ‘the order of the day,’ the prevailing policy, the cultural norm and all but ubiquitous, we need to be gently reminded that it just ain’t so.

Never doubt that kindness and generosity are widespread. Gently remind yourself of that. Remind others, too. How? So easy. Make people smile.

I will be specific. The pharmacy we use is tucked away in the corner of our neighborhood Kroger’s grocery store. The kids that work the counter are under pressure. They must be constantly alert and their work must be precise. Lives are at stake. After six or seven hours on the job, they are tired. They deal with customers who are also tired and grouchy from standing in line.

I note the names of these kids, which are displayed on badges they wear pinned to their shirts. When my turn comes, I greet them by name. When, in the dull tone that comes with repetition, they ask for my date of birth, I answer: “January the 16th, 1950, a dark and stormy night.”

This gives them pause.

“Your name?” they ask. I reply, “Rick Sowash, the Man, the Legend.” By now they are smiling.

When they ask if I have any questions, I say, “Yes. Are vegetarians allowed to eat animal crackers?” or “If your parents couldn’t have children, does that mean that YOU can’t have children either?” or “Do suppositories come in different flavors? like orange or raspberry? because the ones I bought here last week were really difficult to swallow. And what’s with that shape?”

By now they are laughing.

One of these pharmacy clerks has told me, “Mr. Sowash, when we spot you waiting in line, we all try to be the one who gets to wait on you.” That is one of the nicest compliments ever conferred upon me.

My oboist friend Yo Shionoya “gets” this. I know Yo and his flutist wife, Julie, from church. They are the sweetest people I know. Everyone at church loves them. Every time I encounter them they make me feel that they are genuinely glad to see me. I’ve written music for both them, including a “Julie-Yo Suite” for just flute and oboe. They are going to record it one of these days and then I will share it with you.

In August of 2023, with Yo’s playing specifically in mind, I wrote a piece for oboe and piano for him to play in a service at our church. I titled it “Gentle Reminder” and included this note on the title page of the score:

gently reminding us to be gentle with other people,
all living things and our beautiful little planet

A few Sundays ago, Yo finally premiered the piece with our friend Beth Troendly serving as the collaborative pianist.

To both see and hear their fine performance, copy and paste the following link into your browser, and then scroll ahead to 51:26.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpoyhFAb7ZI

To see a PDF of the full score, click on the link above.