I was reading a blog post that my piano instructor, Kate, wrote today about how she finds herself increasingly troubled by how the purpose of music has melted into a big, "Look at Me!" and she was troubled by it. She went on to say that she thinks the same thing has happened with sports. "Do we grab a ball and head down to the park with our friends to have fun and build relationships? Or do we grab a ball to prove how much better we are then our friends, or to practice our skills so that we'll win a formal competition that will give us status?"
It made me stop and think. Why do my boys grab a ball? Like Kate, I'm not a star athlete, but the time spent whacking a ball with a bat at family reunions or throwing a frisbee to my boys at the park yesterday are some of the best memories I will ever have.
She went on to refer to dancing as well. "Do we take a loved one by the hand when a song comes on and turn and spin together for fun, ... or to express love (the real kind, not lust)? Can anyone even dance without stepping on each other's toes or getting confused about who's supposed to lead anymore?"
To which I might add, yes! One of my favorite memories with my oldest son is how he'd come in the kitchen now and then, hold my hands and whip me around while he sang his version of "You Light Up My Life."
I don't like letting the virus of 'professionals only' infect my brain either. I'm with Kate when she says,
she doesn't want to be a narrow-minded person thinking my passion in life should be everyone's passion. Whether it is sports, music, dance, cooking, whatever, if you love it, that is reason enough to do it.
