StocktonMccully576
Recently I had the fantastic pleasure of hearing one of my personal favorite groups, Groovelily, accomplish their original musical theater piece Striking 12 in New York City. Before the show, since the band was warm up, the lead singer/violinist Valerie told us a powerful story. Valerie had recently conducted with her father at an event to celebrate his lifetime contribution as a cantor. Following the performance, an older woman came up to Valerie and told her about how she had played violin as a young child in Germany and how much playing the violin had designed to her. She proceeded to describe that when her family fled the nation throughout the Nazi regimen, she wasn't permitted to bring her precious violin with her to America because her family feared it'd mark them as Jews. So, she raised a family group, got married, and grew up. (And he was raised to become a musician), she never participated or rekindled her love to play the violin again while she encouraged her daughter to play the violin. If the girl finished telling her story, she held Valerie's hands tightly, looked her in the eyes, and emphatically said, "Keep on playing."
Every time I hear this story I am deeply moved (yes, I love the group and have heard this rather recent story multiple times already). Being an amateur artist who could think of a million excuses why I am not adequate to be playing or when there are therefore a great many other more essential things to complete how I will not be "wasting" time I'm moved because of my own ups and downs. I am also moved because I am overwhelmed with the large volume of design, elegance, joy, and passion that's lost nowadays daily because therefore many individuals have forgotten their joy and interests for the a great deal more "important" and "serious" business of life.
Take the time today and consider:
- What actions did you like to indulge in as a child, teen, or young person? Do you still participate in any of the or related activities?
- What did you dream about many planning to be when you spent my youth?
- What're you doing when you have the most happy, excited, or in the flow? When was the past time you spent time doing this?
If you are similar to people I know, you're probably laughing as it has been such a long time since you've done any of these things that you do not even remember or you're muttering numerous reasons why you can't be doing these things. Some of those excuses might sound like:
- I really do not have time
- You can find more important things to complete
- It's difficult to do since I have a wife/husband/mate, job, young ones, house, and so forth.
- There's number way I can ever have what I dreamed about, it absolutely was just a dream. After all, I am middle aged, over weight, and out of shape and definitely not going to become an, NFL, WNBA, Broadway star, or rock musician in this lifetime, so why bother at all.
Well, what if you could have and do what you most enjoy? What if you could get touching the substance of what you really needed and then do and go THAT? For instance, perhaps what really appealed to you about being a rock musician was making music and sharing it with others. You can reach that goal dream at any age. Grab an old device you used to play and commence to just take lessons again. Learn something new. Offer to share your music with children, seniors, or a church group. Yet another example might be that you liked the spirit of opposition and physical challenge inherent in the imagine playing professional sports. Well, you can have that too! Even if you not be the next Lance Armstrong or Serena Williams, there are numerous techniques for getting toned and compete in sports at any age. I have observed athletes in the Masters section of different sports play with more heart and aggressive spirit in their 70s, 80s, and 90s, than many young professional athletes show. People are personally known by me with demanding careers and families who frequently compete in triathlons and cycle, run, or walk unknown variety of miles every year for charity. If they can take action, so can you.
My point is - you deserve to have pleasure, love, and play in your life. Yes, life may be critical occasionally and we all have duties, but it is owed by you to yourself to really live only a little and give the gift to yourself of something simply for you. You had be taken aback at how just a little bit of time spent regularly on something that feeds your spirit will yield benefits ten times over in the other "more serious" parts of your lifetime.
That month, go in search of your prodigal violin. Dust off your guitar, football racket, paintbrushes, or writer's pad. Give permission to yourself to rekindle the passion, find the happiness, and PLAY.
