Honor
I was having a fabulous day. Spent some time in the yard cleaning leaves out of the pond and edging the stones around it. Went to the gym. Did a little bit of reading when I came back, reading the recently published memoirs of a parapsychologist I met last summer. FC came home and we decided on grilling out while he did more edging. After spending a few minutes watching the goldfish swim laps in the pond, I grabbed some shears to cut some blooms from the flowering plum trees for a vase in the living room. As I rounded the garage toward the front yard, I walked through our overgrown backyard full of violets and dandelions and was overcome with a feeling of pure joy. I really love my little patch of land, I thought to myself, I could stand to live here for a while.
Just then, a woman in her minivan slowed down in front of our house and rolled down the window. "Excuse me," she said, "I've been teaching down here for over 20 years, and I wanted to tell you that I really love what you have done with this place." (I think was referring to the fact that we turned it into a music studio.) "Thank you for bringing honor to our neighborhood." All I could do was blush and say 'thank you' as she drove off.
We took a gamble on this neighborhood. Three quarters of our zip code is a ghetto, and we are on the edge of it. I remember FC reassuring me the day that I closed on this house, "we're going to be an improvement to this neighborhood, because we're bringing music to it."
Most people here can't afford the lessons, and those who do are making a sacrifice. I now have 5 students who walk to my house for their lessons (one of them from the ghetto part two streets over). I have a soft spot for those students. I find myself not just being a piano teacher, but a mentor to them. If there's time, those kids get to spend some time in my yard...feeding the fish, learning about the herbs I'm growing and their medicinal properties. Sometimes I send their parents home with herbs from the garden. Every now and then I burn the kids CD's of music that I think will inspire them. If I have an extra 5 or 10 minutes before or after their lessons...they get it. I still love my students from the right side of the tracks, but those who share this neighborhood with me seem to be needing just a bit more adult attention and I'm happy to give it when I can.
This winter, I was getting dissatisfied with my life and my occupation, but I realize now that it was just a symptom of my depression. Now that the depression is lifting, my energy is coming back and my love of humanity is returning.
I love what I do, and I'm thankful that I'm in a position to bring honor to my neighborhood.
Just then, a woman in her minivan slowed down in front of our house and rolled down the window. "Excuse me," she said, "I've been teaching down here for over 20 years, and I wanted to tell you that I really love what you have done with this place." (I think was referring to the fact that we turned it into a music studio.) "Thank you for bringing honor to our neighborhood." All I could do was blush and say 'thank you' as she drove off.
We took a gamble on this neighborhood. Three quarters of our zip code is a ghetto, and we are on the edge of it. I remember FC reassuring me the day that I closed on this house, "we're going to be an improvement to this neighborhood, because we're bringing music to it."
Most people here can't afford the lessons, and those who do are making a sacrifice. I now have 5 students who walk to my house for their lessons (one of them from the ghetto part two streets over). I have a soft spot for those students. I find myself not just being a piano teacher, but a mentor to them. If there's time, those kids get to spend some time in my yard...feeding the fish, learning about the herbs I'm growing and their medicinal properties. Sometimes I send their parents home with herbs from the garden. Every now and then I burn the kids CD's of music that I think will inspire them. If I have an extra 5 or 10 minutes before or after their lessons...they get it. I still love my students from the right side of the tracks, but those who share this neighborhood with me seem to be needing just a bit more adult attention and I'm happy to give it when I can.
This winter, I was getting dissatisfied with my life and my occupation, but I realize now that it was just a symptom of my depression. Now that the depression is lifting, my energy is coming back and my love of humanity is returning.
I love what I do, and I'm thankful that I'm in a position to bring honor to my neighborhood.