Everyone keeps telling me you can’t go back. You can’t live in the past. You must work towards creating a future.
This weekend has been a total blast from the past for me. I did go back. I did re-live a time in my life that was totally different from today.
A big part of my life was teaching piano. My husband hauled in 22 boxes of music from the garage this weekend. For me, it represented a time period of over 30 years. Looking through the music books caused me to reflect on my life. My concert music, my teaching music, my pop music, my first-year music books and my much-coveted Yamaha Electone Organ course, these represent many phases of my life. It took a long time to sort my books as I had to pause and recall where I was when I played each piece.
It amazes me how much of a connection we have to music. Where were you when the Bee Gee’s Staying Alive was on the Radio? Where were you when Scot Joplin’s Entertainer was popular?
I think the reason I love music so much is that it is an expression of self.
I can go for years without hearing a song. Then, suddenly I hear it on TV or in concert. The song brings back a period of time that I hadn’t thought about in years. My first car, my first boyfriend or the time I was playing the organ in a restaurant, the vacation in Hawaii – they all cause me to pause and reminisce.
So, what’s my point? Our past is who we are today. Every person I have encountered, every conflict I have had to solve, every happy occasion I celebrated and every moment of sudden loss that I have experienced is woven into my personality.
It was good to reflect on my past. I am proud of my accomplishments and have overcome my periods of sadness. It gave me the courage to keep working and enjoying each day. Why? Because what is my future today will be my past tomorrow – time does go by.