January 13th would have been my grandfather’s 84th birthday. He passed away fairly suddenly in March of 2007.
He was a man’s man. A WWII veteran. He was certainly my hero. He could build, grow, or fix practically anything. He was just a “good” man in the purest sense of the word. I could go on but I’m sure the message is clear...I loved my granddad.
He started playing the upright bass at the age of 60. From picking with his friends around the campfire to his regular “Thursday night jam session”, he played every chance he got. He simply loved the music, and he was my encouragement when I started playing the guitar at the ripe ol’ age of 27. Frequently, I would find myself frustrated with my lack of progress, and he would always say, “You’ll learn a little, and you’ll hit a plateau. Then you’ll learn a little more and hit a plateau”. That phrase pops into my head and makes me giggle just about every day mostly because my grandfather mispronounced “plateau” every time he said it.
Well, I’ve hit many a plateau in music and otherwise...some good; some bad. My most recent realization is that I have been on the complacency plateau for quite some time now with my surroundings. As much as I would like to admit that I’m organized...I’m not! It just doesn’t come easy to me. I have accumulated so much stuff that I don’t even know what IT is or where to find IT. I could blame nostalgia. I’d like to blame nostalgia. But lately nostalgia has been showing a gleaming resemblance to pack-rat. And let’s face it, the sentimental value of something you just can’t quite remember your reason for saving is nil. I have spent so much energy trying to hide the STUFF that it has over-taken the space in my house and the space in my head!
So I’m purging...every nook and cranny of my house. It feels so good...like I’m shedding a skin. It’s just what I need for the new year - a source of renewal. I have made a decision to surround myself only with real objects of meaning. I’m letting go of the things that have been weighing me down...clearing the clutter in my home and my head so I can enjoy (and actually see) the things that I love most! (And since another goal would be to “live greener”, the remnants of my purging are all temporarily resting in my garage waiting to be repurposed, reused or recycled...if anyone is interested! It must go fast.)
As I was cleaning out I found a note my grandfather wrote to me just before he died. I had gone to his “Thursday night jam session” to play a couple of songs with he and his friends, and afterwards he wrote thanking me, “...not often for a granddad to get to play along side his granddaughter. You made me very proud.” I hadn’t remembered getting the note...my head was probably just too crowded, and I certainly hadn’t read it since he died. But you can bet from now on, I’ll know exactly where to find it and will read it often.
My sweet granddad was right, we learn as we go and eventually hit a piece of level ground...hopefully it’s higher ground. I’m getting there one step at a time...clearing the path to my own “easy plateau”. And this time when I get there, I’m actually going to kick back and enjoy the scenery.
