Day 22

My high school senior picture

Got to play flute in church today.  I need to do it more often.  It is really my only excuse to play anymore and before I got asked to play for a Christmas program, it had been over a year since I got it out.

I don’t think I have ever blogged about my musical background before.  Honestly it is what I thought I was going to do for a living most of my childhood.   The best experience ever was being able to play in a youth symphony when I was 13.  It was separated into two groups.  The junior symphony and the senior one.  You had to try out and the senior symphony was for the really gifted kids.  I started in the junior one and there was one practice early on where I got singled out and really embarrassed because I didn’t know my part very well.  That kicked me into gear and I got to practicing.  It wasn’t too long before I got to join the senior division and by the time I was nearly 16, we moved.  No more orchestra to play with but I kicked butt at playing and got to go to state solo ensemble three years in a row and placed fourth.

I got some great scholarships to collage and didn’t have to pay at all my first semester.  However, it took me two weeks into that first semester to realize I was in the wrong major.  What really drove it home was when I seriously burned three fingers on my right hand (I really should have huge horrible scars but somehow I don’t). When I was writhing in pain on the floor right before heading to the emergency room, my thoughts were “crap I can’t go dancing,” and “YES! I don’t have to practice flute!” Yeah I would say it is a sign that burning my hand was better than enduring how much I had to practice as a flute major.  Not to mention, my flute professor was scary beyond all reason.

So then it turned strictly hobby.  Then I had kids, and it became something I sometimes might pull out.  Which, honestly, is totally fine with me.  There is a time and a season for everything, eventually I will have all the time I want to play flute and learn guitar better and do all the things I want to do.  I’m pretty sure though, when I am doing those things I will be missing my kids who will all be grown and moved away.  So I am happy enjoying them while they are young and still all mine.

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