Digressions: My Life in 500 Words or Less

Two and a half years ago the only musical instruments in this house were a small keyboard without a power cord and two clarinets in need of repair.

That has changed.

In the foyer of our home sits an electric guitar, amp, keyboard, ukulele, acoustic guitar and saxophone. Oh, and a tambourine.

So why the sudden interest in music, you ask?

Truth be told, it isn’t sudden. Both Rebecca and I have always had musical proclivities. We were both in high school band. Additionally, Rebecca took piano lessons when she was a young girl. I’ve always been a writer, and at an early age many of the poems I wrote arrived as song lyrics accompanied by melodies. Most of those often handwritten lyrics didn’t survive the ravages of time, but the inclination to continue writing and creating never faltered.

We both came to realize we wanted to get back to music. It was a desire that had built up over the years.

In fact, for many years I had expressed a desire to learn to play the saxophone and had put the musical instrument on my Christmas wish list. Santa never did bring a saxophone, but Rebecca also knew I had played clarinet in high school and found a very inexpensive one she bought me some years ago. Unfortunately, it did not hold up and needed repair after only a couple of sessions.

By then I had begun discussing the idea of learning to play guitar. I had actually written lyrics to a couple of songs that I thought I might be able to translate to guitar if I only knew how to play.

For Christmas 2017 Rebecca bought me an acoustic guitar. For my birthday last June my niece Vicki gave me an alto sax her son no longer played. For Rebecca’s birthday last August I bought her a ukulele that was on her birthday wish list. This past Christmas she bought me an electric guitar and small amp, and I bought her a keyboard. Somewhere along the way I bought Rebecca a tambourine she asked for.

I know, I know: we could practically start our own band.

But that really isn’t the idea.

I think we both just wanted to revisit something creative we enjoyed many years ago but never took the time to re-engage in. And we’ve both enjoyed re-engaging. Additionally, this has led us to a wealth of past and future gift ideas for accessories such as cases, picks, tuners, capos and music.

Rebecca and I are enjoying the experience of learning something new. For us, I think, it is about focusing on the journey, not the destination.

It is a joy that has no measure.