Friday, March 8, 2013

Where Do You Find Imagination?

There was laundry to be finished and dogs to be fed.  There were plants needing water and a bed to made.  There was a list of things that needed my attention, but my heavy heart needed somewhere to rest.  With a moveable deadline that day, I could justify a few moments at the piano for my heart's sake.

I'm rusty and ill-practiced, but my heart didn't care.  For me, practicing was always dreadful, but playing -when I was upset and emotional- was living.  And after a couple of songs, gratitude was replacing the sorrow.  Gratitude for simple notes on a page and tones in the air that echoed back to whatever pain and struggle my heart needed to let out.

Perhaps it was mostly the baby hormones, but the point was clear to me.  Every person needs a place where they dream a little and let go a little.  Music is a perfect place for that.  As a piano teacher, it must sound like a shameless plug to put your child in lessons right away or something, but piano, guitar, just singing in the shower to the radio can reach those rough places of the heart.  And maybe music isn't your avenue.  Writing does the same cathartic thing for me.  Others find comfort in painting, reading, gardening, woodworking, outdoors - you get the idea.

I would like to encourage everybody to reserve a small space in time - every now and again - for the comfort of dreaming.  Dreaming of what could be, dreaming of what is somewhere else, filling your soul up with imagination, even if it's just for a little while.  Reality never let's go for very long, but the joy that comes from a mindful wandering can go the distance.  Learn from the kids in your life and don't squash their imagination.  Why do you think most kids keep that smile in their pocket all the time?  They know how to dream and imagine.

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