I used to sit and play my guitar. I would play one chord over and over. I would listen to each string as it contributed its tone to the ensemble. I listened to the way the tones beat against each other. It resonated with my soul.
It was also nerve racking for my parents. One time when I had been meditating on the esoteric qualities of an E chord for fifteen minutes or so, I remember my mom commenting, “I think you’ve got that one down now.”
I have had my children and done my penance. Not in exactly the same ways my parents did but in similar ones. I have more sympathy for them now. And I feel gratitude that they let me explore the intricacies of those sounds for as long as they could stand it. It helped me to become who I am.
Now, I find myself exploring a different kind of art form. I am learning to weave words together to strike chords of emotion in people’s hearts. I am strumming the same notes over and over again and this time it is my readers that are being patient with me while I get the notes down perfect.
I can report that I did become reasonably accomplished on the guitar. I performed professionally for three years and have continued to play until this day. These days when I explore new sounds on the guitar it is less nerve racking. I hope to reach that point sooner than later with my writing as well.
In the mean time, I’d like to thank my readers for accompanying me on this journey of exploration. I am truly grateful to you all. And I have learned one thing. It will get better with practice. Everything does.
Sweet dreams, don’t forget to tell the people you love that you love them, and most important of all, be kind.