Practice is Just Slow Magic

I have a vivid memory from when I was about 11 years old. We were given the opportunity to try every musical instrument that you could study at the school, and if you found one you enjoyed and seemed suited for, you were encouraged to sign up for band or orchestra classes.

Through the combination of having some fun and finding out that I had natural ability, I wound up signing up to take band classes. Here’s the part where my memeory becomes clear.

Walking out of that room, I thought, “Today, I don’t know anything about music, but by this time next year, I’ll understand this stuff and be able to play this instrument.” It seemed exciting and almost mystical, but there it was. Like doing arithmetic, I just put together my commitment to taking these classes and the inevitability of time’s passing, and that’s what came out.

Recently, this has started happening again and with greater frequency because I’ve bought a home. Installing a ceiling fan, patching drywall, hanging blinds, redoing electrical wiring, installing pot racks–for some people these are trivial tasks, but for me, having not done much of that kind of thing in my life, each time I get to the end of the project successfully is an accomplishment.

When you envision a the future state in which you’ve put in the time to learn how to do something well, it is powerfully motivating and energizing. Because from that vantage point, our ability to grow and learn really does seem like magic.

By the way, the image above is by puck90 and happens show the exact pot racks that were my first project.