Tuesday, June 18, 2024
I have new things to do. Flute. Drawing. Spanish.
That right. I bought a flute. It is described by the small company that made it, Stellar Flutes, which is run by two people, as Native American style. I had looked into an actual Native American flute, one suggested by a woman I met in Florida, but I did not buy that one as it cost about 50% more. I became interested in this when I waw walking on the beach at Gulf Islands National Seashore back in March. I heard her playing, blending with gentle sound of waves on the beach, and I heard a voice in me say "I want to do that!!" I will admit that it has not been easy trying to learn to play it, but so what. It isn’t all that hard either. Perhaps hard and easy are states of mind. So, even with a simple task of learning scales, or just rambling through some notes, I have been pretty happy with it. I like the sound. I like the act of doing it, of playing, because it feels somewhat new, it feels creative. It is also a mediative task. Soothing.
A similar situation exists with my sketchpad. Years ago, in high school and for some time after that, I would sketch things in my notebooks. I don’t know when or why I stopped, but that doesn't matter. I now have a pad and I can draw things I see out in Nature. Like with the flute, it is slow going, and I would characterize myself as “not very good” at it. Again I say, so what. It is interesting and rewarding to do this. It has a feeling of creativity, and it is energizing. It makes me laugh and smile.
Kurt Vonnegut Urges Young People to Make Art and “Make Your Soul Grow”
Spanish. I took Spanish for several years at Saint Joseph’s in grammar school and Immaculate High School. After high school, what did I do with it? Not much. But there are some things still stored in my brain from those days. I bought a Spanish textbook, and I am revisiting nouns and adjectives, verbs and their tenses, etc. etc. etc. At times it feels hard, frustrating, and without purpose. But – so what. There's no "test grade." I want to be able to communicate in situations where I can help someone who knows little to no English. There are plenty of situations in my travels where basic knowledge and ability to understand and speak Spanish would be helpful.
Additionally, all of these things feel constructively purposeful, useful, as ways to grow. The act of doing these things is somewhat unpredictable. When I start any of them, such as drawing, I might have something in mind, but it changes as it happens. It is like writing a letter to someone. One can start out with an idea of what you want to say, but as words and sentences flow from one mind to the pen and to paper, things change, things kind of evolve. And when it is done, I say to myself, “Wow, I had no idea I would write about that!”
Another way to look at it is to look at conversations you have with other people. This might be with people you know well, with people you know only a little, or with complete strangers, and everyone in between. Ask them questions about their life, see where it goes. It could be so interesting! “Conversation” can be an art, beginning with a Seed. This is how new friendships begin and how older friendships strengthen, through cultivation.
Be the dog who learns new tricks …
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