My parents have given me a lot. They have given me more than I can ever begin to describe. They've given me my childhood, my education, and my home, and they have vitally contributed to giving me my future. One of the greatest gifts they ever gave me, however, was my hobby-music.
It was around second grade when my parents first placed me in piano lessons. I was utterly terrified of the white and black keys that I had no idea what to do with. I hated not being good at something, and I was certainly no prodigy. I hated to practice and frankly could not care less if I really ever learned to play.
I remember for the first couple of months my dad sat next to me by our new, flimsy little keyboard and tried to convince me to actually learn the notes rather than to just memorize the 10 or so keys I had to play for those beginner songs.
Over the years, the weekly lessons were often more of a social event for me and my friends than anything else, and though I would learn the pieces, I still hated to practice and never made it a true priority. I never really asked to quit, but sometimes I found it more of a waste of time than anything else.
Then one day, after I had recently switched to a new teacher and many of my friends had quit taking lessons or took it at a different time or place than me, something clicked. It was some book or another that had some songs that I, for once, realized I really liked. I remember it came with a CD, and I would listen to those songs over and over and try to make my playing sound just like that. My teacher noticed my new spark of interest and grabbed a hold of it. I never would have imagined, but in the next few years my piano teacher became one of my best friends and role models. Music became something that I loved and stored up like treasure as I learned more and more of it.
Music became my escape, and it became a part of how I identify myself. I was never spectacular. I had no natural talent at all. I hated to perform for other people; my hands would always sweat, and my foot would shake uncontrollably while I played at our recitals. But I practiced and worked, and I enjoyed what I did. My teacher worked to pick pieces that would allow me to thrive, and she taught me to love music, not just to be good at it.
Unwilling to allow life to take this piece of myself away from me when I moved away to college, I decided to minor in it. I have learned so much in this new level of music education, and I have never loved it more. I have been challenged, and my knowledge and skills grow every day. To have this growing and beautiful store of knowledge in something that is simply for pure enjoyment and passion is one of the greatest gifts in my life. My music is something that can never be taken away from me. I will never be a famous musician; I am far below many of the skills of my classmates here. I will probably never know everything there is to know about it, but it will always be my treasure and my escape. My minor in music will someday allow me the opportunity to teach piano, and I hope that I will get the opportunity to make music my gift to someone else - as my parents and my teacher did for me.
The point is do what you love, grow in what you love, and share what you love. Don't allow the obligations and business of life to tell you that your passions are unimportant. Also, always remember that what you love has nothing to do with everyone else. It took me some time to come to terms with the fact that I was no natural and that there would always be people better than me. What you love is about what makes you happy and has very little to do with the opinions or skills of others. Our passions are the most beautiful parts of who we are, and we should never sacrifice that for anything. And if you haven't found yours yet, try everything, and try every aspect of everything. You never know when passion will ignite itself.
