Frustration

I started guitar lessons this week. There’s several reasons for doing this. One, I’ve always wanted to learn. Simple as that.

Two, I don’t have a piano and want a musical outlet. Art, music, reading, writing – all these things nurture the soul. It’s important regardless of what’s going on in one’s life to nurture the essence of the being. The arts expand oneself. It’s not frivolous. It’s not expendable. Reaching in, reaching deep, discovering and letting go of emotion through painting or writing or singing a song is part of the human experience. It’s healing, it’s soothing. And now especially, I need soothing.

And third, I need the experience of getting completely frustrated with something. I want to be challenged. To encounter a controlled situation and have to push myself to achieve a goal. It’s how we grow. And, learning how to push, to persevere, to master a skill is a skill in itself I can apply to any other area in my life.

As I struggle to build strength and flexibility in my fingers, to adapt to wrapping my hand around the guitar and press the right strings, I get frustrated. I could quit if I wanted. I could sit the guitar down and think about how bad I suck at guitar playing. Or, I could breathe deep and realize I will never play a simple song if I don’t get these little skills down. That a little bit every day of practice brings me much closer to my goal. I can also choose to continue on and envision what I will feel like when I can play. And how proud I will be.

I can choose to continue on and not let frustration get me. And let that choice spill into every other area of my life.