Today I picked up my guitar again.*
To put this act in context, the first time I seriously picked up a guitar was many years ago. I was quite young back then, and had just had my heart broken by a beautiful and beguiling woman.
The young lady in question was learning to play the classical guitar at the time. So in a sort of psychic jiu jitsu, I dealt with my pain by going to her classical guitar teacher and asking to take lessons from him.
In the months that ensued I poured every drop of my heartache into learning that guitar. Practicing for several hours a day was easy, since the only times when I could feel any joy were the times when I was practicing my music.
In a remarkably short time I had become proficient at playing the classical guitar. Which just goes to show you what you can accomplish if you have sufficient motivation.
Now, after many years, I am circling back to the instrument. I’ve mainly been looking at on-line courses, and following along with the lessons.
I find that my fingers never really forgot how to play. My skills started to return after just a few minutes, almost as though they had never left.
Only this time I’m not doing it because a woman has broken my heart. Although I may be doing it now partly because my country is breaking my heart.
* In an earlier draft I started this post by talking about our current political situation. But I’ve decided it might be good to sometimes lower the volume on that topic, at least a little. 🙂