Horse & Sleigh and my Bucket List

Note: The piece is called Horse and Sleigh 

I'm eleven weeks into my piano lessons. A record in itself when I remember that taking lessons was one of my resolutions for 2018, and since my first lesson in late January, I've only missed two days of practicing.

If I'd approach my resolutions to exercise, lose weight and get enough sleep as I do piano practice that would be super impressive. Alas, not so much.

But.... I'm thinking the biggest difference with my 'learn to play the piano badly' is twofold:

#1 I'm paying someone to teach me, writing a check every month. Putting my money where my mouth is has helped substantially to move forward.

#2 I have a teacher who expects me to show up for lessons, and be prepared. If I were to make it a habit to skip lessons or show up with excuses as to why I didn't practice enough the past week, after awhile she'd give me the boot. As she should for wasting her time.

I started at the very beginning, but with an adult advanced book, and I've got about two more weeks in it. My lessons are already more advanced than anything I'd ever had in the past.

The best part about starting back at piano lessons is that when I asked Cub Sweetheart for a keyboard for Christmas, it had a port to plug in headphones. My keyboard sounds a bit more tinny than a piano would, but headphones in a small home can save a marriage one's sanity.

Cub Sweetheart is just the nicest guy and long-suffering enough that he would listen to my plunking away if that's what it took, but he's not complaining about the headphones either. The first year of piano is a bit miserable. One finger plunking down, and trying over and over to get the fingering right. Even when the piece is played correctly it still isn't anything that's going to make the top twenty of background dinner music.

Having headphones gives me the space to practice at least twice a day, going through my entire lesson, so that my fingers and brain can do their work to become familiar with all the notes, the dynamics, and theory that goes into learning.

My original goal - my bucket list item - was to 'play Christmas Carols badly'. And I can already do that! Now I'm starting to think, maybe I can play them mediocre? What if I took lessons for at least several years? How well could I play then?

And if I start thinking wild? What if I took as long as I wanted? As long as my teacher is willing to suffer through with me? Why do I need to stop?

What a gift we have, that life can be made up of such stuff as tackling a long standing dream. That we can set our mind to do something, and with a little perseverance it may just be possible? And then some.

Hoping any of you out there who have something on your bucket list that you're still putting off, you'll listen and maybe be encouraged to tackle it. Start with a goal of badly. Move up to mediocre. Then who knows?