Life is Sailing

(written Saturday, August 23, 2025)

Playing the piano is one of the first things I enjoy doing after we return from a trip. It is not usually the first thing I do. Considering children and luggage, a lot happens before I am able to sit and tickle the ivory. However when the activity slows down and I am able to rest on my small cushioned bench, my fingers find those black and white keys and sing their favorite melodies.

Michele McLaughlin is a regular go-to for me these days. She composed a piece called “Synergy” that I have played through many times. It is one of the more intricate pieces in her book that I own, requiring both the right and left hands to play together but almost separate melodies much of the time. A beautiful interplay between the two hands, it has challenged me to develop a listening ear for both melodies. When I first began playing the piece, I emphasized the left hand melody, almost dominating over the right hand. After my left thumb injury, my left hand was much weaker, and, frustrated, I let my right hand take the lead. With time, however, I grew to treasure the main tune that the right hand held and understood more of the subtleties of the left. After a year, my left hand has pretty much returned to my previous skill level. Now I notice a richer sound as my hands balance and blend together.

Experiment, injury, rehab, and return. It is a fascinating journey. Often frustrating and emotional, set backs seem often to propel us forward into heights we were incapable of entering before. It happens to athletes, academias, writers, and musicians. I daresay it is a phenomenon that occurs in all walks of life.