How Much Music Can You Make?
by Steve Goodier
Imagine this. A concert violinist is performing a difficult piece in
front of a large audience. Suddenly there is a loud snap that
reverberates throughout the auditorium. The audience immediately knows
that a string has broken and fully expects the concert to be suspended
until another string, or instrument, is brought to the musician.
But instead, the violinist composes herself, closes her eyes and then
signals the conductor to begin again. The orchestra resumes where they
had left off and now the musician plays the music on three strings. In
her mind she works out new fingering to compensate for the missing
string. A work that few people can play well on four strings, the
violinist with the broken string plays on three.
When she finishes, an awesome silence hangs in the room. And then as
one, the crowd rises to their feet and cheers wildly. The violinist
smiles and wipes perspiration from her brow. When silence returns to
the great room, she explains why she continued to play in spite of a
broken string. "You know," she says, still breathless, "sometimes it
is the artist's task to find out how much music you can still make
with what you have left." *
We know what she means, don't we? Maybe we've lived most of our lives
and we have only a little time left. Can we still make music?
Maybe disease has robbed us of our capacity to work. Can we still make
music?
Perhaps a financial loss has left us impoverished. Can we still make
music?
Or maybe a meaningful relationship has ended and we feel alone in the
world. Can we still make music?
There will come a time when we all experience loss. Like the
violinist, will we find the courage to discover just how much music we
can still make with what we have left? How much good we can still do?
How much joy we can still share? For I'm convinced that the world,
more than ever, needs the music only you can make.
And if it takes extra courage to make the music, many will applaud
your effort. For some people have lost more than others, and these
brave souls inspire the rest of us to greater heights.
Just how much music can you make with what you have left?
-- Steve Goodier
* Though this scenario is sometimes purported to have happened to
violinist Itzhak Perlman, the incident cannot be substantiated and is
more likely grist in the mill of urban legend.
Steve Goodier
Publisher@LifeSupportSystem.com is a professional
speaker, consultant and author of numerous books. Visit his site for
more information, or to sign up for his FREE newsletter of Life, Love
and Laughter at http://LifeSupportSystem.com.