The Banjo

Yesterday the earth shook, the sun faded, the moon sagged, the oceans thrummed, and when I practiced the banjo, I heard the melody line embedded in the forward roll. The little one used to play until she got the boot... Being a person that hates to see waste, and my greater waist for that matter, I picked it up. Played for a few weeks on my own before I ran into Teddy, her old teacher.

It took two chance meetings and an interview for a magazine article to convince him to take me on... no small deal... during mother's hours, so that my lessons wouldn't impact my family's life. After one lesson, the little voice in the back of my head was saying, "This is hard." The bigger voice in the front, reassured me that there wouldn't be a test or even a quiz. "It's just for fun." Why should the kids of the world get all the opportunities, and their moms be delegated to driving from opportunity to opportunity? Get out of the driver's seat!

My second lesson was this week. After playing the piece I had been practicing for the day, I asked, "Are you going to run screaming into the night?" It was horrible...

Teddy the teacher said, "No, it's there. It's coming"

I laughed... then handing over my instrument, I demanded he play it as it should be. On his notes I melted. Even now, I close my eyes and I can still hear his playing. Of course, he has been playing for over 40 years.

So, sent home with homework to practice, I did just that, and wouldn't you know it, I'm beginning to get it. It's still hard. But aren't the harder things worth working for? I can't wait to practice today.