WHY DOES an old man with a tin ear have three musical instruments?
Learning. I was sitting alone thinking about how I would spend the rest of my days when Connie has passed. I thought back to my childhood and things left behind or not tried.
I played trumpet up through my sophomore year in high school when I decided to trade the horn for football pads. I was never the musical one in our family, but I had a guitar and the trumpet. I ended up being a writer of sorts and that’s helped me lead what I hope is a good life.
And, I had art. All through high school I would forge the art teacher’s signature on a hall pass to get out of study hall and go to the art room. Mr. McCarty said I had talent. I don’t know if that was the case or something he told any kid who showed an interest in art.
When I got to Miami University (the original one in Ohio, not the latecomer in Florida) I had no idea what I wanted to study. I stopped in the art department one day and asked about becoming an art major. The professor I talked to said I needed to get an education major since most art majors ended up teaching or maybe working in advertising. I was not, I gathered, destined for great things. So, over the course of seven years in and out of college I ended up with three majors – English, history and government.
Where is all this going? One of the things I have decided to do with whatever time I have left is to devote a couple of hours a day to the arts. I already have a guitar that is rarely played. I’ve always had a fascination with the banjo and mandolin. So, I bought a banjo and mandolin – nothing fancy, nothing high-priced.
I bought sketch pads, pencils when Connie went into memory care but the muse never came calling, or if he did he couldn’t cut through the fog that is waiting for someone with dementia to reach the end.
I am under no illusions. I won’t be good at any of this at this point in life. I can’t sing a lick, not a lick, so don’t look for any public displays of minimal talent.
I have just decided to return to some arts left behind and see if I can enjoy some time with and in them and learn something along the way.
And, when my time nears I will donate them to the Quaker school that is a part of our Friends meeting so that someone with some real talent and a life ahead of them can enjoy them.
Rich Heiland is a retired journalist and semi-retired consultant, trainer and public speaker. During his journalism career he was a reporter, editor, publisher, college instructor, part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team and a National Newspaper Association Columnist of the Year honoree. He lives in West Chester, PA and can be reached at [email protected].