I once was a musician.

That post title probably makes you think I was some great prodigy.  Actually it was fifth grade band.  Ok, fifth through eighth grade band.  I don't know why I was thinking about this the other day, but I really felt the need to share it with Taylor and since I tend to blog about {almost} everything in our life, I thought I would share here too.

I started the story to Taylor with, "did I ever tell you about that time I started playing the flute?"  He never knows what's coming when I start my stories that way.  And usually the conversation ends with, "well, that was random" but on this particular day, it resonated with Taylor, so maybe it will resonate with you?

So, that time I started playing the flute.  Fifth grade band.  I was so excited.  My parents bought me a second-hand flute and I got it out of it's case each day to clean it, so excited that soon I would learn to play it.  Band started at school and immediately there was a problem.  No matter how long I practiced, my flute and I did not sound like the others.  Which led to a conversation from the band teacher to my parents that went a little something like this, "she has no natural talent."

Bam.  Crush spirit.  Fifth grade, people.  Fifth grade, and I was told I had no natural talent.  What the what?

So my teacher kindly agreed to work with me one-on-one in hopes that despite my lack of "natural talent" she wouldn't have to kick me out of band.  On one of these particular days, she took my flute from me and began examining it.  After a few minutes, she realized that one teeny, tiny piece was out of place in the slightest way.  She put it where it should be.  And wouldn't you know, I could play that flute.  I, in fact, played that flute until I was "first chair" flutest (at times).  No natural talent, my left ear.

While thinking about this the other night, I realized that it isn't always a matter of lacking talent or the ability to do something.  I think a great deal of the time it is what we are given to work with that causes the perception that we can't do it.

All this to say, prove them wrong.  Take what you have been given and work it, work it, work it.  Don't give up.  Play it like you sound the same as the rest of them and one day they will see.  They will see that it wasn't a lack of talent and further more, they will see the persistence you had despite what you were working with.