I told him what it was to tread water and he, for the longest time, believed me. My friend is a musician and the instrument that chose him is the keyboard, with it's near infinite possibilities, incarnations, iterations. Different lives, so to speak. It is a craft that as it is learned learns you. Small flash of contact. Text message. Unreturned call with voicemail attached. We've learned to sing over the phone. I hope that doesn't ring flat.