In music, rubato is the temporary suspension of strict tempo in order to allow for expression. It’s a brief slowing or quickening that doesn’t change the overall pace.

It’s a good thing.

We don’t seek a formulaic march. We’re not drawn to an unyielding metronome.

There’s certainly a time and place for an exact beat. But there’s beauty to be found in the subtle inexactitude that accompanies expression, emotion, and the human condition.

Anomalies, irregularities, imperfections, asymmetry — these surprising shifts and pattern breaks are where we come alive.