Top of the Bucket List: Pick up some Instruments

I think it is important to have goals in life. Outside of a good job, a strong family, and becoming debt free. We often forget about the small things in life. We forget the simple enjoyable things that add variety to everyday life. We stop reading, we stop writing, we fall into passive activities and before we know it, 20 years have passed. I want something to show for my time. 

My great-grandparents were musicians. My great-grandfather made sure every child in his family picked up an instrument. They picked up instruments like the piano, sax, trumpet, violin, and others because they believed music is what connects us all.

This week, I am spending time with my cousins in Atlanta. One is an accomplished musician that when I asked him how many instruments he plays, he literally says he lost count. I remember when I was little and he would visit for the weekend and take me to the neighborhood music shop. He would walk in, pick up a random instrument in the store, and within ten minutes he would have the building filled with jazz. I always looked at his skill with amazement. Today, his house is filled with instruments from around the world. I want the same.

At 67, and I never seen him so alive when he’s sharing knowledge of the world through music. It’s beautiful to see him come alive daily. I am called back to when I ran a band. I felt that connection that he feels daily. I felt the pulse of a room sharing my pain and pleasure on a track. I felt the connection to something greater than I. I felt the power of music and I will forever treat music as my first love.

So, my personal goal is to play music and create music. I dream of connecting to the creative force and immersing myself in it. I would read stories about Marvin Gaye and be amazed at how he would pick up instruments and create his music from scratch. I want that.

I want the freedom to embrace creativity and lose myself within the flow. I want to have time melt away and peace to spread in my heart. I love music. I love what you can do with an instrument. You can strum a chord and touch someone’s soul. Bring tears to an eye without saying a word. Music can connect souls. Music is pretty music magic.

So, my personal goal is to pick up at LEAST three instruments in my lifetime. I want to learn the keys/piano, guitar, and the drums. I also wouldn’t mind picking up the trumpet again and anything else that comes my way. But, I want to reconnect to a part of me that I left behind when classes got difficult and life fell apart. I want to reclaim a part of myself and that’s why music is on the top of my bucket list. Long live music. Long live life.

Any musicians out there? How long have you played music for? Any favorite music involving stories? Share in the comments below.