I'm killing time at an airport that has pianos scattered around the terminal that all are invited to play. Earlier, someone was playing "Experience" by Ludovico Einaudi (a personal favorite) and just now, someone else launched into a half hour set of perfectly-played songs. While both players might have been professional pianists, the chances that two are in the same terminal at the same time are quite slim so we can assume that at least one is just an average Joe who happens to play piano - and who decided to share it with all of us.
There's a quote out there that goes something the like "The purpose of life is to discover your gift and the meaning of life is to give it away." (I've seen this attributed to many so I'm not going to mis-tag it.) While something like playing piano takes time and dedication to master, the ability to play and the love of doing so are indeed gifts.
Last week, I wrote about creative expression as a means of processing profound emotions. This post feels like a balance to that one because while getting the emotions out via creativity can be necessary, sharing our creativity with others is, to me, a form of gratitude.
Gratitude has become a trigger word that we toss about as a balm of Gilead for all that emotionally ails us. Feeling down? Shame on you, you should be thankful instead. And while we truly can help our mental health by appreciating what we do have instead of what's missing, learning to really appreciate life deep down on a visceral level is much more challenging that a social media post about being #blessed would imply.
But, what could be a more beautiful and generous expression of gratitude that sharing gifts and talents? There needs to be an innate selflessness there, which is a big part of gratitude. When we shift our egos to the backseat, we lose the fear of being judged or of not being good enough and we can share our gifts just for the sheer joy of it. Think about it: surely you've met someone who might be a little tone-deaf but who still sings with such zeal that you can't help but smile. Having that kind of love of singing and being willing to share it provides a joy to others that little else does because we're in the presence of life for the sake of life, not for the sake of praise or profit.
Think about what your gifts are, whether they're naturally found or diligently cultivated. What ways can you share your love of them with others? What kind of experience would you help bring to the world? What fear would you need to lose in order to do that? And how would your experience in this life be if you could?
Comentarios