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lawrence lamear |
...and a whole lot of patience. Just a few things that this crazy instrument has taught me along my journey. How about you?
"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread..." Ah yes, the arrogance of even thinking that I could learn to play this instrument. Talk about delusional thinking! I had absolutely no business of entertaining such foolish thoughts.
And in my arrogance and ignorance, I kept at it! When all the nagging Voices told me I'm wasting my time, I have no talent, this is utter madness, yada yada. No matter...those Dark Voices from within couldn't stomp out that spark of hope that also came from within. What an arrogant fool I had to be to keep going on when every indication said i was wasting my time. To this day, those voices still torment me, but in my arrogance i keep plodding along.
Humility is the YING to the Arrogance YANG. Humility is the unseen leg sticking out we don't see, and trips us up. The fist that sucker-punches us square in the nose and make us bleed. The dust we brush off our backside every time we get knocked down...and oh yeah, baby, yer gonna get knocked down...A LOT!
A very wise man once said he was Humbled By This Instrument...his name escapes me right now (wink, wink). Amen, brother! A wee bit arrogant are ye? Here, have a slice of Humble Pie...try not to choke on it! Man, those Voices are really mean!
Patience...now there's a saintly virtue, fer sure. Ain't gonna learn this instrument overnight. No sir! Want to learn to play this instrument? So tell me, what are you doing for the rest of your life? Ha ha, you arrogant twit! So say the Voices, ever-mocking me...
And so it goes...I get up off the ground, dust myself off, and start playing again...from the top. And do it again and again and again. Starting to get a little cocky again, are ye? The Voices start in again...Well, that was okay, I suppose...fair enough...now play it faster!" Oh, those evil, wicked Voices! They never let up...they constantly mock me...harrass me...and motivate me.
The years roll by, tunes are learned, and new ones take their place. Along the way we hang on to those tunes we like the most, and cherish them. They are our comfort, our solace, our hope for the future. In spite of ourselves, the tunes get better, and even better yet.
And that magical day comes, after playing a tune, THE VOICES say that was lovely, Larry...play us ANOTHER...and I play another, my heart leaping for joy, and i continue the Journey, soaring high on eagles' wings.
I'd love to hear your story of The Journey, and what you learned along the way.
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