On Sunday at our songwriting class, we talked about calling upon spiritual sources of support as we are writing. We mentioned prayer, meditation, connecting with nature, invoking the spirits of ancestors, seeing the work as already existing (much like the sculptor uncovering the figure inside the stone).
It was suggested that when we hit an impasse, the uncomfortable feeling of confusion or perplexedness might be reframed as Mystery (something we can curiously explore rather than be anxious about) and that by collaborating with a Higher Power we might take some of the pressure off ourselves.
Earlier in the class, I shared a song-beginning that had started out well but hit a snag. The song was based on last week's lesson, having to do with patterns in life and in music. It was called "What Goes Around Comes Around"...but it hadn't come around to being finished.
Yesterday, a day later, a strange and wonderful thing happened. As planned, a beautiful upright piano arrived at our home, a gift to our keyboard-playing children from a generous friend who is downsizing. It had been her childhood piano. She simply gave it away.
I was away at an appointment when the piano arrived. When I got back, Dave told me about the amazing thing that happened next. "Hank" arrived at the door. We hadn't seen him for years; he used to live in the basement apartment of the falling-down house across the street, which was subsequently bought, renovated and sold. A long time ago, Hank told me he had once played guitar...so I gave him an old 12-string I used to play that had been in storage for awhile. (I told him he could keep it, and it was free.)
Last night, he came to the door to thank me again. He said he'd become very attached to it, and wondered if he could pay something for it. (No.)
That all would have been miracle enough, but then as I was falling asleep last night, I remembered my unfinished song--the one I'd "asked" for spiritual assistance to complete, in the class.
"What goes around comes around".
