Piano

A lot has been happening in my life recently. It is the end of my first semester at college, and life gets pretty crazy around this time. I have to go birthday and Christmas shopping and study for finals and finish up a few more papers and things are just kind of moving along. In all the rush and madness, I find there are times when I just need to stop, take a break and a breath (name the literary device and you get a point), and put life back into focus. When I get feeling that way, there's a trusty friend I like to turn to and rely on. He lives downstairs in the dungeon. He's not the best at what he does. In fact, he's not even very good at all. He's been beat up from a long life, but he's still got a lot of value to me. Not so much that he's irreplaceable (in fact, I might prefer it if he got replaced), but still a great asset to have on those days when life is just taking me along and I need a handhold on the shore so I can get my bearings. His name is Broadbent Yamaha.

I am so blessed to have the talent that I have. I am nowhere near the best piano player. In fact, I'm barely a good piano player, but I can't imagine life without even the meager talent that I do have. All too often, I take it for granted. Not everyone can make those black and white keys connected to little felt "hammers" that strike wires of varying thickness and length produce music like I can. I honestly don't know what I would do if I couldn't do that. Playing piano is the best thing I know how to do to relieve stress. When I sit down and start playing, suddenly nothing else matters. In that moment, it's just me and the instrument and the music we produce together. Sure, it's not all bliss. It can be frustrating at times when I am trying to work through especially difficult passages ,or when the quality of the piano severely hinders the music produced, but in the end it's all worth it. In the end, I get the pure joy and satisfaction that comes from making a beautiful piece of auditory art, even if it's only beautiful to my own ears.

And so, I will continue to visit Mr. Yamaha. He has become one of my greatest friends this semester. When there is no one else I feel I can talk to, he is the one that hears all my frustrations, all my griefs, and all my joys. I'll keep looking for the steadying hand, and Mr. Yamaha will always be there ready and waiting for me.