Finding My Zone

Last week one day while I was driving home from work, I was suddenly hit by an overwhelming longing to to do some practicing when I got home (I play the organ). The more I thought about doing it, the more intense the longing became. I haven't sat down and played in many, many months - I find it hard to practice for any length of time any more because of my carpal tunnel syndrome. This day, however, I wasn't about to let that hold me back. When I got home, I went in and shovelled (literally) all of the stuff away from in front of my organ so that I could pull the bench out. Because my mom was sleeping at the time (and because i wanted to hear how horrible I sounded before my mom and dad heard me) I initially had my headphones on. Yikes! It sounded like I had never played a note in my life. But as I got my hands warmed up, it gradually started to sound better. I eventually felt confident enough in what I was doing to take the headphones off so that Mom and Dad could hear me. But as I continued to play, the thought crossed my mind that it would take me a long time to get back into my "zone".

That started me wondering. What exactly is my "zone", and how do I know when I'm in it? As I continued to ponder this, it came to me that I am "in the zone" when I stop having to consciously think about what I'm doing and where I'm moving my hands to, when my hands and foot are playing together in perfect harmony and when, even though my eyes are on the sheet music, I'm "feeling" the music inside of me rather than "reading" it from the page. And once I get into the zone, I sometimes experience a feeling like something else has taken over and is playing through me. I can actually feel where I am no longer the one in control of moving my hands. It doesn't happen every time I play, and it only lasts for a few seconds. Sounds crazy, I know. But I've felt it many times, and it always leaves me feeling somewhat awe-struck when it happens.

I also got to thinking about this incredible gift that I've been given by God, and the fact that I have been sadly neglecting it. This especially hit me when, after I finished playing and went into the living room, both Mom and Dad told me how much they had enjoyed listening to me play and how they wished I would do it more often. I decided then and there that I need to look for more opportunities to share with others this gift that I have been given.

TTFN!