Hidden Gifts
When a student is having trouble remembering where to put their hands for a particular song, I always say, "Okay, stop. Look at your book. Name the first note in each clef and name the finger number the book tells you. Then match that finger to that note on the piano." After the student has paused to match up the appropriate finger to the correct key, I say, "Okay, stop again. Now look at your hands. Notice the keys that your thumb and pinkies are on. Notice the patterns of white and black keys. Now take a picture of that with your eyes." The student smiles and laughs as she blinks her eyes to show that she is mentally "taking a picture" of the hand position.
I used to spend a lot of time worrying about the future and trying to figure out how to put the scrambled pieces of my life together. How would I get into a career that would fulfill me? How could I meet the right man and build a strong marriage? What if I have more bills than income? What if I never find the relationship I hope for?
While at times I still default to anxiety over the unresolved parts of life, I also make a more intentional effort to acknowledge and cherish present moments--simple moments that are gifts which could so easily be overlooked. When I watch the delightful smiles of the kids I baby-sit as they play with my kitten, their dimples and laughter bubbling over with innocent, childlike joy. When I step out my back door at night, and the moon and stars above make my problems on this little planet earth seem not quite so overwhelming. When I pause to see the sun gleaming on the raindrops on my back door, making my small house seem like the coziest home on earth..
In those instances, I do what I tell my students to do: I stop and mentally take a picture with my eyes (and often my camera) to remember these treasured moments that could go easily overlooked by their absence of flash or fanfare.
I still have times I feel disappointment over life's gifts I haven't unwrapped yet. But hopefully, my eyes will more keenly notice the countless little gifts each day, waiting silently to just be noticed.
I used to spend a lot of time worrying about the future and trying to figure out how to put the scrambled pieces of my life together. How would I get into a career that would fulfill me? How could I meet the right man and build a strong marriage? What if I have more bills than income? What if I never find the relationship I hope for?
While at times I still default to anxiety over the unresolved parts of life, I also make a more intentional effort to acknowledge and cherish present moments--simple moments that are gifts which could so easily be overlooked. When I watch the delightful smiles of the kids I baby-sit as they play with my kitten, their dimples and laughter bubbling over with innocent, childlike joy. When I step out my back door at night, and the moon and stars above make my problems on this little planet earth seem not quite so overwhelming. When I pause to see the sun gleaming on the raindrops on my back door, making my small house seem like the coziest home on earth..
In those instances, I do what I tell my students to do: I stop and mentally take a picture with my eyes (and often my camera) to remember these treasured moments that could go easily overlooked by their absence of flash or fanfare.
I still have times I feel disappointment over life's gifts I haven't unwrapped yet. But hopefully, my eyes will more keenly notice the countless little gifts each day, waiting silently to just be noticed.
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