You Can't Be Good at Everything

Someone has said that you can’t be good at everything. If no one has already said that then I just said it because it needs to be said for the benefit of all of us. My mother wanted me to have some musical talent, or at least skills. I took piano lessons from Mrs. Rose when I was young, very young. I cried most of the time that I was supposed to practice on our old upright piano in the back room. I cried because I would rather be outside playing. In Junior High School, I was a member of the Church’s youth choir. There were no auditions, you just showed up. I really wanted to be in that choir because of the girl who I admired. Being in choir meant we got to ride home in the back seat of a parent’s car and hold hands after choir practice. In High School, my mother strongly recommended I join the band (she did not pressure me, but she was persistent). I was third chair in the baritone section. If there had been ten in the baritone section, I would have been tenth chair. I was not very good. I recalled what I learned in the Church choir, so I made certain I did not play very loud. I was not good at practicing as I would rather be outside playing. Do you see a pattern? I do not have an “ear” for music. I can not hear the difference between a sharp and a flat (I learned these words in band) but I know that each had a different button to push on the baritone. My music experiences were surely helpful for my maturity even though “You can’t be good at everything.”