Play Me Another One

Life is like a piano. What you get out of it depends on how you play it. – Tom Lehrer

My earliest and fondest memories of my grandmother, Eileen, revolve around sitting beside her on the piano bench.  Her nimble fingers would glide across the shiny black and white keys and I would wish to play like her.  I had just started piano lessons, and my one handed do-re-mi paled in comparison to the old gospel hymns she could easily recall.  She would guide my little hands across the keys until I would get frustrated and say “Meemaw, play me another one.”  “Someday,” she would tell me, “you’ll play just because of the way it makes you feel.”

What frustrated me the MOST about learning the piano were the songs written in a key that contained those darn sharps and flats.  My grandmother would diligently highlight and circle the notes for me and we practiced looking ahead for awareness of what was coming.  In the depths of my discouragement with the whole thing, I asked her why we even needed the “stupid black keys.”  In her wisdom, she told me that music would be a lot less interesting without the black ones. “When you hit one, if you make a mistake, just keep right on going.”

I did learn, eventually, and just as she said, playing the piano became a contemplative practice.  It somehow became simple enough that my mind and heart are free to be with God more freely.  Playing the piano, for me, is an exceptional medicine.  It connects me to my past, my family and everything familiar.  In particularly trying times, you will most likely find me planted on the bench of my $50, untuned, yard sale piano.  I am still not as good as my grandmother, but thanks to her wisdom, I have learned to navigate the sharps and flats, both on the piano and in life.  

Life is certainly a lot like playing the piano.  The white keys represent the smooth happy times.  The black ones reveal the difficult and sometimes sad ones. However, as our journey of life progresses, we should keep in mind that black and white keys together create more meaningful music. Persisting in times of trials and tribulations adds to the enchantment of our individual stories. Now, if I make a mistake or face a challenge in my personal or professional life, I try to keep in mind my grandmother’s wisdom and just keep going.

My grandmother is now 88.  There is a special sort of magic in this number, which also reflects the number of keys on a standard piano. Perhaps this is why, on her birthday, her church also honored her for 70+ years of playing the organ and piano at services.  While she would certainly be justified in calling it quits, my grandmother, to me, has never been anything but steadfast.  She told the local newspaper reporter that she would play until her hands give out.  A long life full of black and white, creating the most beautiful music.    

Comment below: What are the hobbies or things that center you? Who helped cultivate your love for that activity?