Learning takes practice.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ค?
Growing up in Scotland in the 1970โs was a fun place to be.
I was oblivious to many of the challenges of the era, but I do recall one occasion at Primary school when I was around 9 years old, that Iโve never forgotten.
An announcement was made in class that a recorder group would be starting in school and that anyone interested to learn how to play should come along to the next practice.
I had grown up listening to my dad playing regularly on his chromatic mouth organ and like him I wanted to do something musical โ he always seemed to be having so much fun!
The day came and along I went.
I was given a small descant recorder and duly started practicing in the weeks that followed.
Through lots of lessons, my playing began to improve, and I learned to read music too.
Lessons Learned
I began to understand that
- Growth and development take time.
- Learning takes practice.
As time passed by, one day I recall being picked upon and bullied by several boys.
โYouโre just a big namby pamby, a big sissyโ theyโd say to me, along with a few other belittling terms.
Why?
I was the only boy, playing the recorder amongst a group of around 15 girls.
Despite the regular taunts, insulting and smart-alecky remarks, I continued playing the recorder throughout my school years and developed a resilient spirit to the comments.
Playing simple melodies, always brought joy to my youthful heart. And it still does!
In later years, in a little tender mercy, I discovered that like me, Monic too played the recorder.
Sometimes in life we have to persevere when opposition comes our way.
Oftentimes, its listening to the feelings of our heart, that can overcome the challenge of the day.
What challenge might you face today?
What does your heart think?
In the wintertime, the ride was not only treacherous on the old country roads of the time, but it was also a very cold one.ย Before he set off for a night shift, on the chilliest of evenings, I recall dad padding and lining his jacket, sleeves, and trouser legs with old newspapers to lessen the biting winter cold and the piercing winds.ย A simple old-fashioned way to stay warm, and his preparation was key.
As day dawned, off he went to his favourite beach.
Recently I was reminded of the story of the two buckets that went down the well; as the one came up it said, “This is surely a cold and dreary world. No matter how many times I come up full, I always go down empty.” Then the other bucket laughed and said, “With me it is different. No matter how many times I go down empty, I always come up full.”
