I’m approximately halfway through my life, given current longevity rates for a person in my socioeconomic situation. It’s causing me to see that I will never do the things I want to do unless I make them happen. I can’t afford to wait, it’s time to decide what things I want to take the time to be good at. Also, what things I want to do, and how to get there. Here’s an example of what I’m talking about.
Growing up, I didn’t have much variety of music to listen to. We had a few cassette tapes of folk music. We didn’t go out and buy albums. We didn’t have Mp3s to download, and I didn’t listen to the radio because I took the bus everywhere. Listening to music on the internet was a total revelation to me when I went to college, but I didn’t do it much because music wasn’t really a huge part of my life.
Fast forward to meeting my wife. She is a metal head. I didn’t like it at first. Gradually I started to and now power metal is my favorite genre. For a long time I had a recurring dream about playing the guitar but I never did anything about it.
Tonight I got to hang out at a friend’s studio. He’s been playing electric guitar for 38 years and wow, he’s good! I haven’t listened to much live music so this was a real revelation. The music touched me as never before. I even liked the songs I normally wouldn’t like, as the sound enfolded me and stirred my deepest nerve endings. I found myself totally comfortable in the studio. I liked the smell of the air, the look of the equipment. I didn’t feel out of place like I have in other musical venues. It felt… right. In fact, I was inspired to do a painting, which I’ll start tomorrow.
This reminded me of my dream of playing the guitar. Perhaps, I thought, I could start playing one! Time’s wasting, there are fewer days ahead than there are behind. I can find a cheap used guitar to start with, and look at lessons on YouTube. I can practice with headphones on so I don’t even bother the neighbors. The point is, if I want to do this, I can make it happen by taking the first step, and then the next, and then the next. I can have my dreams if I go about it in a sensible way. As my guitar player friend said, “you have to decide you’ve already done it and then just get started.”
Is there a dream you’ve had that’s like this? How might you write your own life story?
Mindflight 