Picking up this instrument, late in life, you’d found, your love, hadn’t you? Translated…
Last autumn, I’d, accidently, bumped into this cute Yunnan woodwind instrument, made from squash, after I’d gotten to know it better, I’d fallen in love with it, completely.
It all started at a certain gathering, my former coworker, C, mentioned that he was learning to play the instrument, and he was so excited about learning it. Although I was, a bit, surprised, but I wasn’t that shocked, because he’d started taking up traditional Chinese style paintings at sixty-five, and in twenty years he’d never stopped, and had multiple exhibitions of his work here and abroad too. But, at the age of eighty-five, picking up a musical instrument, it’s, an oddity, I’d found a date, to visit their group practice.
what the instrument looks like, photo from online…
Looking in, I’d found, that he’d become, a drummer in his elderly years, and he’d, carried the postures, the flair, and, gotten enthusiastic as the group of nine others played on!
I was born in the age of lacking resources, all we were able to do, was keeping ourselves feed, how would we find the extra money to take up a musical instrument? And see others perform, I’d always felt envious, awe, but, as I got older, my fingers got stiffer, and I’d, reacted, slower, and believed, that musical instruments weren’t, my thing. But, I’d, bumped into this traditional Chinese woodwind instrument, it was so cute, and it wasn’t hard to play, and, once I was able to play a tune, I’d felt, achieved, and, fallen hard for it.
We’d only gone to classes no more than ten times, and the group leader had boldly, accepted the invite of a distant elementary school hiring us to perform at the birthday celebration of the school, and, for the performances, none of us, slacked off, worked hard, practicing. I’d taken time from my days, to spend some alone time with “baby squash”, to have it rub against my ears, and if there was a day when I got too tired, and didn’t get to practice, I’d felt, a bit, loss.
Looking back on this life of mine, I’d often started something with great enthusiasm, but, never finished, without the persistence, I couldn’t, make anything of myself. And, since I’d met up with the traditional Chinese woodwind instrument, that’s, all changed. In this brand new year, I hope, that life has a new beginning, that I shall, stay by my little squash’s side, for as long as I shall live, to show off my strength, my persistence, to perfect my playing skills, to awe others.
And so, this, is the amazing story of someone, starting up to play music from absolutely NO skills whatsoever, and this still just showed, that no matter how old you are, if you have a dream, you should just, pursue it, work hard, toward the goals you set for yourselves, and one day, you just might, stand on stage, like this person is currently doing, playing a musical instrument s/he never imagined s/he would be able to play.
Life, the Obstacle Course 