The process of growth
Yesterday, while sitting in Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania listening to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra play I was reminded of the process of spiritual growth. Pittsburgh Symphony was the recipient of two Grammy awards yesterday. Many music critics and musicians consider Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra one of planet earth’s top orchestras. I am not sure how many musicians were playing for any of the pieces yesterday but I know it was well over 100. I also know that the musicians come from various countries, backgrounds, races and diverse religions. The music they play represents composers from various countries, cultures and religions. The musicians bring their personal experience of joy, hope, sadness, grief, anger, and perhaps depression to their relationship with their instrument and each note that they are playing. It is impossible for any musicians or any group of musicians to play the same music twice despite reading off the same piece of sheet music.
My personal and professional experience tells me that the process of spiritual growth requires bringing our rich positive and negative history to each moment of our journey. Our life instrument is entirety of our body. If we are being very intentional about this journey each day we encounter new opportunities or challenges to blend all those experiences, emotions and intentions into a symphony, which is emotionally pleasing and spiritually rewarding. Some days it feels as if we do not require much practice. We have danced this particular dance many times. Some days, there are new notes to play or the same notes to play in a different combination. We may, like the child who is not a prodigy picking up the violin screech our way through the notes. Yikes, we day. It does not sound, feel or look very polished because it is not.
Eventually, we may have moments when we appear to effortlessly play with the grace of a swan and the smoothness of a light zephyr which lightly tickles our skin.
For me and I think for most of us spiritual growth requires practice, practice, and practice. The moments of a Grammy winning performance are few and far between, but they do come. Mostly, however, we must accept the challenge and screech our way through the unfamiliar notes or combination of notes.
My intention today is to keep accepting the challenge and to practice, practice, practice.
Written January 29, 2018
Yesterday, while sitting in Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania listening to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra play I was reminded of the process of spiritual growth. Pittsburgh Symphony was the recipient of two Grammy awards yesterday. Many music critics and musicians consider Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra one of planet earth’s top orchestras. I am not sure how many musicians were playing for any of the pieces yesterday but I know it was well over 100. I also know that the musicians come from various countries, backgrounds, races and diverse religions. The music they play represents composers from various countries, cultures and religions. The musicians bring their personal experience of joy, hope, sadness, grief, anger, and perhaps depression to their relationship with their instrument and each note that they are playing. It is impossible for any musicians or any group of musicians to play the same music twice despite reading off the same piece of sheet music.
My personal and professional experience tells me that the process of spiritual growth requires bringing our rich positive and negative history to each moment of our journey. Our life instrument is entirety of our body. If we are being very intentional about this journey each day we encounter new opportunities or challenges to blend all those experiences, emotions and intentions into a symphony, which is emotionally pleasing and spiritually rewarding. Some days it feels as if we do not require much practice. We have danced this particular dance many times. Some days, there are new notes to play or the same notes to play in a different combination. We may, like the child who is not a prodigy picking up the violin screech our way through the notes. Yikes, we day. It does not sound, feel or look very polished because it is not.
Eventually, we may have moments when we appear to effortlessly play with the grace of a swan and the smoothness of a light zephyr which lightly tickles our skin.
For me and I think for most of us spiritual growth requires practice, practice, and practice. The moments of a Grammy winning performance are few and far between, but they do come. Mostly, however, we must accept the challenge and screech our way through the unfamiliar notes or combination of notes.
My intention today is to keep accepting the challenge and to practice, practice, practice.
Written January 29, 2018
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