“It can be coins or sports or politics or horses or music or faith… the saddest people I’ve ever met in life are the ones who don’t care deeply about anything at all. Passion and satisfaction go hand in hand, and without them, any happiness is only temporary, because there’s nothing to make it last.”
It saddens me to admit, but the last time I can remember playing the piano (a long-time hobby of mine) it was during another calendar year, in another state, and I was at least a year or two younger.
Hobby’s are like that I guess. At one point in your life they seem like the biggest, brightest part of your day – an undeniable passion you couldn’t imagine living without. But then life gets in the way, you become unfocused, unmotivated and even a little depressed. And before you know it the biggest, brightest part of your day is gone.
Last night my wife was at a school function, and after cleaning up the dinner dishes and putting away the last bit of laundry, I found myself with nothing to do all alone in a big empty house.
But then something reminded me of my long-time hobby – one that used to be the biggest, brightest part of my day. Suddenly I could feel a creative adrenaline running through my veins. My piano was calling me like a long lost friend who terribly missed all the joy and sadness the two of us used to create together.
At first I wasn’t sure I’d remember how to play. I know they say it’s like riding a bike, but I feared that a talent I once devoted so much time and energy to would simply have faded out of memory. Thankfully it didn’t.
I was playing better than I ever remembered. All the wonderful songs I had created on the 88’s were still fresh in my mind as though I’d just arranged them yesterday. But perhaps most importantly, I found myself truly enjoying the experience for the first time in a long time. I played some of my familiar favorites and then created something brand new – reaffirming that I still retained the creative talent I feared I might have lost.
I spent the next almost three hours playing on my piano with the same pride of someone fortunate enough to play at a prestigious concert hall. At one point I even noticed tears in my eyes out of the personal feeling of accomplishment and fulfillment I had forgotten playing this instrument used to bring me.
I’m hoping this is the beginning of reconnecting with my long-time hobby during a new calendar year, in a new state and a few years older. I guess it goes to show you that just because you take a brief hiatus from something you enjoyed doing, doesn’t mean it’s gone forever.
Ask yourself, “Is there something I once loved to do and no longer do it?” Remember, as long as you’re living and breathing, you can always make a change. Always find that feeling of personal accomplishment and fulfillment in a very familiar place.
