I'm Gonna Play

You've heard the phrase, "It's all in how you look at it." I have a bit of an obsession with that idea, looking for a better way to look at things. And most of the ways that my life has ever improved has been as a direct result of looking at things differently. Examples abound in how things have gone for me as a parent, as a husband, at work, etc.

Well, I'm playing around with a new way to look at things, and in particular, at music. Seems since early childhood, music has meant a lot to me, but I've always had problems "sticking with" an instrument, "putting in the practice", etc., needed to get good at playing.

Did the end of that last sentence strike you as odd? "Get good at playing"?! I've got two kids. They play. A lot. Daughter, age 5, does little else. Playing is natural. They do it because, well, because playing is fun. What other reason do you need? But have you ever watched kids play?

Daughter plays with dolls. She talks to them, makes them do things. If you watch closely, you see that she's exploring social things as she plays. Sorts things out, tries to make sense of her world. In short, she's learning.

Think about it: playing means learning.

I must have known that when I was a kid. And I must have forgotten it along the way.

So the short of it is that I'm going to have fun with my keyboard. Yeah, it's a dinky little "toy" Casio, nothing like my old "professional" M1, but if I'm just playing, then a toy is just fine. And I'm going to ignore that pesky voice in my head that says that to learn an instrument has to be hard, dull and boring.

Yeah, I'm gonna play.