Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

I am grateful for the amazing things people are capable of when they put their minds to it and focus their will. It is absolutely incredible what we can do. Last night, I watched some good friends (and musicians) play a show. Fingers flying, melodies singing, harmonies walking—beautiful, concerted talent. I've tried playing the violin. It's hard. As a beginner, I make sounds I didn't think were possible on an instrument and it's not pretty. But up there on the stage, the violinist was flying along the fingerboard, drawing his bow with ease and rocking out that beautiful instrument. He started out just like me—slowly, painfully, and probably exasperated at points. But he kept practicing, fine-tuning his slowly-increasing skill set until finally he could stand up on a stage and leave people in awe of his talent, i.e. hard work, dedication, practice, etc. And this is true of all the musicians on that stage. And this is also true of every single endeavor we as humans dedicate ourselves to. We are capable of so much should we only commit to working through the tough spots and being willing to suck at it for a while. The only way to grow is to reach up.