Last Friday morning our ukulele group practiced in the park. (The Senior Center was closed because of Veteran's Day) Our seating arrangement had us scattered across picnic tables; some facing our leader, and some behind her. The weather was perfect, and with almost 30 players, it's always fun.
We sat right behind our leader and "Jim" sat on the end of our bench. Jim is a single, seasoned guitar and ukulele player. Currently, after his retirement with the fire department, he plays at scheduled gigs during the week to brighten lives of many. He's a good and talented man. But he, like most of us, had to listen a little closer to hear. And his patience was thin. He began to be an obstacle in the progress of our efforts. At one point, he didn't have a copy of the piece we were playing. So I gave him my copy and easily read off of Randy's. He did mutter, "Thank you." But as time went on, he became more and more a hindrance. Our leader struggled with him, but showed great patience as she centered on his "needs".
After class, I hovered around our leader. I knew she needed a pat on the back for her patience. She appreciated the pep talk. And walking out over the grass, I heard a friendly voice ask what we had planned for our new week. I turned to meet another friend. She and her husband had been sitting beside us, knowing "Jim's" struggles. I told her I hadn't thought too much about the new week yet. That we had just completed a busy week, and I was glad for the new beginning. I also shared my concern for the discord at our corner of class, because she was there, too. And we talked about how quickly the year has gone by, and if Halloween is over, Christmas is going to fly by. And to enjoy it all, we need to take a deep breath and smile.
Then she said something profound. "My husband and I have been talking about how life can be overwhelming. We have said more than once, "'That can be a good thing!"' All of a sudden, I wanted to hug her. Those were the words I needed to hear. It humbled me that as hard as I try to stay on a faithful track, here was a woman that was on a higher track. I admired her outlook, and knowing she had a different Christian background than mine, made me appreciate the similarity more. I wanted to be like her. We both laughed and agreed, "We should write that on a T-shirt!"
In a flash, I was awakened with my frustrated thoughts of Jim. About my uncalled for speaking out about him. About my busy life that is flying by.
(deep breath)
It was a beautiful fall morning. I could wear a sweatshirt. Birds were singing. People were happy, playing or listening. I look forward to Friday mornings. With Randy. These are sacred holidays that only come once a year. I sat by Jim. I'll be more forgiving.
These are all Good Things!
