When I was just a girl, there were two things that I wanted desperately: a trip to Disney World and a piano. Guess what? Those wants never materialized. I write this without an ounce of self-pity too. Even young children can learn from the valuable life lesson that we don't always get everything we want in life. Years, no decades, have trickled by. And despite all the hoopla that the grand amusement park experience promises, I now firmly have no desire to ever visit it. What was the 8 year old me thinking anyway? Oh, I just liked Mickey Mouse, I guess.
The piano...has a different ending, sort of.
My mom cleaned houses for a living when I was a little girl. When school was out or when I was sick, I'd sometimes tag along with her to other people's houses. My favorite houses were the ones that had cable tv (Disney Chanel) and a piano. A couple of them had this perfect combination.
I took lessons for a bit as a child. But I stopped because I didn't have a piano to practice on. Still, I always loved the piano and the idea of playing it. Somewhere inside of me, I've always regretted not continuing with the lessons. Really, I just loved music. I loved playing my clarinet in the band. I even got a guitar for Christmas one year. In the end, though, I just dabbled. Adolescent and teenage years got in the way. I got bored with my teachers. And since then, I've never, ever considered myself a musician or musically inclined or whatever. My musical interest disappeared - or I buried it.
And then Bea came around and reminded me of a few things about myself I'd long forgotten. Even though I'm not a great singer and I am sure that I'll never master a musical instrument, she reminded me how much I still just love the act of music. She is never more in her element than when we are singing or dancing together. In fact when she was just a few months old, I can remember driving around town and glancing back at her through the rear view mirror - dancing, oftentimes with rhythm, to the tunes on the radio. She's still something to see. Music, to her, is a force that can not be ignored. Each time we've entered a room with a piano, she's gravitated so strongly to it - climbing up on the bench, and touching and pressing keys with such interest and joy! She's reminded me of how much I loved to do the same thing when I was a child.
Thus, the last couple of months we've had our eye for the perfect piano for our needs, our house, and our budget. Last week, a post came up on Craigslist saying that the owner was moving and the first one to contact her could have her piano. We have a piano in our living room now. I polished it today. It's lovely.
Another wonderful thrifted gem to add to our home.
