Inside Things

I was rendered speechless recently when a long time piano student of mine plopped down on the bench for her lesson and challenged me to guess what she just learned to do.

Now this is a girl who started back when her feet couldn't even touch the floor. Though she has always worked hard, she is quite shy and has little to say. I was shocked at both her outburst and her pride at her newly discovered accomplishment.

When she offered to demonstrate, I watched in sheer delight as this reserved young lady proceeded to lay down ON the piano bench with her head UNDER the piano keys and her hands reaching up from underneath to play UPSIDE DOWN!

All she needed to get started was for me to orient her back to middle C (a hard thing to do from the upside down position) and away she went with a few little elementary tunes made complicated by her 'reverse' position. (Halfway through I realized that this was indeed a kodak moment and grabbed the camera).

Don't be surprised if you see this new technique next time you see me in concert. I just hope I can get back up afterward.

The only thing to which I can attribute this new found boldness is the recent removal of her braces. A few weeks ago, she announced in another shocking outburst that she was finally getting her braces off. She has been like a different person. It's almost as if the braces made her feel inhibited in every way. Now she is talking and laughing and coming out of her shell......and playing upside down.

I think many of us walk around with restrictive braces on our hearts that keep us from living fully and abundantly. Sometimes it's someone elses words that inhibit us, sometimes it's as simple as our own self-doubt that causes lack of confidence.

It's fun to be a part of someone's life and watch them grow and become confident in who they are. That's a big reason why I do what I do. I hope it will create in others the courage to be all they were created to be....even if it appears upside down to my way of thinking.