If I Am Doing My Job Correctly

If I am doing my job right, the way I play my music is dependent on the depth of feeling and the quality of connection I am able to feel I the presence of the person I am playing for.

This has been a somewhat less than ideal month for me, a couple of weeks lost to minor illness, scattered feelings of less than optimal focus and productivity, then...

This afternoon I offer to play music for a young man sitting quietly at his dinner at the far side of a dim hospital room. There is something deeply quiet and stately about his posture and expression that inspires me to take my time and play with a patience and a poise I have not felt recently. In truth, in fact I have never played these pieces in quite the same way before.

After the first peace he simply sits motionless and stares. I look at him and begin to smile. Suddenly he remembers the idea of smiling and showing his appreciation. The sun comes out.

Interestingly, the last piece I play is my arrangement of Imagine by John Lennon. He has never heard of this song! I think about that and offer to show him a video of Mr. Lennon singing Imagine. He finds it beautiful.

Finally, I feel moved to share with him the way he has inspired me to be better, uniquely better in the moment, more poised and present, because of him and how his presence, his energy inspired and affected me. He is flabbergasted, but seems to get it. We are both very appreciative. I say goodbye.