Progress, like a song, takes a while to get in tune

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/03/2022 (1431 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

During lulls in the day, when my partner has a few spare moments between online meetings and work, he picks up his acoustic guitar and strums, practising notes and chords, turning them into songs.

Sometimes he’ll give commentary on how the music comes together or about the song itself. Sometimes he’ll sing along to the music he’s making or mutter in frustration when he’s made a mistake. His teacher is a guy he found on YouTube who uploads videos from his home somewhere in America.

For the most part, we are both still working from home. I’ve been listening to my partner practise over the months, sometimes in tune with his hobby and other times annoyed by it because the sounds are in the way of whatever I’m doing. He has managed to finesse sloppy chords into smooth transitions, giving life to a song and his hobby.

The funny thing is, I didn’t notice how good he’d gotten until a song he was playing one day caught my attention. I thought to myself, “Dang, he got good.”

It seemed like he had started turning noise into music out of nowhere, without me ever really noticing.

It got me thinking about how this can be a metaphor. Every little step we take in life doesn’t seem like much until you look back and realize you’ve walked a mile, and that everything — including a part of you — has changed.

I know what you’re probably thinking — that this is the most obvious observation someone can make. And, yes, it is. But I think we need a reminder now and then that the things we are doing, no matter what they are, are a process and a catalyst for change.

So often, when we set out to do things, we start by looking at the finish line. If you’re like me, you get hung up on the logistics of how you’re going to get there. All it takes is one small step to start.

I have been thinking about this process in relation to my own life, and the path (or paths) I’m on. So many of the things I am working toward seem impossibly far away. One example is how badly I am trying to reconnect with and learn about my Indigenous culture. I’ve written a bunch of times before about how I suffer from imposter syndrome and how disconnected I feel. It’s as though I am not enough because I am comparing myself with the person I think I should be at some finish line I’ve created in my mind. Or, I am comparing myself with others who are, or seem, further down the path of their own journey.

Yet, when I look back, I have moved forward and am further along than when I started. Growth is only evident in hindsight. And, if we’re being honest, there’s often no real finish line for anything. Life is all about the journey.

My point is that I got a good reminder that I need to stop and appreciate the place I’m at. Every small step we take is meaningful in moving us forward.

shelley.cook@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter @ShelleyACook