ANSIR® Profile: Empath / Healer / Visionary
Boss: Healer

Yesses of the Heart

I have been a piano teacher for twenty years and over that time I have met many wonderful, young students. Many of them are now married with their own families or pursuing chosen careers but continue to keep me informed of their news albeit lessons ended years ago. Even though I am "officially" the teacher, I often feel that they teach me as much, if not more. Their refreshing honesty and surprising "worldliness" never ceases to amaze me as they are an endless source of inspiration and hope for the future.

Charlie, one such student, was a very bright and active, young four year-old when his mother called me about his taking piano lessons. I had always thought students should be a little older since taking piano lessons requires concentration and a fairly good attention span. So, thinking Charlie a bit young, I questioned his mother about his musical interests. As it turned out, he had already been taking lessons from another teacher and his teacher was leaving. So, I said, "Okay, I will look forward to Charlie coming for his first lesson."

I hadn't had the experience of teaching one so young but it didn't take long to learn that Charlie was a special little guy and I looked forward to his lessons every week.

Charlie, like most children his age, was all wiggles and smiles, and his spunk was beyond compare. His bright eyes sparkled and danced as he shared the details of his day at school, friends, pets and activities. It was always a challenge to keep Charlie "on task." One day he did a somersault off the bench onto the floor! Nevertheless, Charlie endeared himself to me over the year and was truly a special little boy with his precocious manner and innocent face.

Lessons continued until first grade when Charlie discovered group sports. He enjoyed basketball and soccer and I surprised him one night by attending one of his basketball games. I delighted in watching him run up and down the court trying to hoist the basketball accurately enough to score. One thing, for sure, Charlie was active and wanted to win!

As the year progressed, I noticed lessons weren't as well-prepared as in the past and in talking with his mother, he hadn't been practicing at home. Getting him to the keyboard was really becoming difficult and much to my disappointment, the decision to stop lessons was made.

When Charlie's mother called to say he was quitting lessons she shared a comment Charlie had made as to whether he should continue lessons. Charlie said, "My heart says 'yes', but my mind says 'no'".

I have often thought how insightful Charlie's remark was and to have come from one so young makes it even more touching. I often wonder how much more might be accomplished in the world if we listened more to the "yeses" of our hearts and less to the "noes" of our minds. Even in Charlie's briefness of life, he understood that the heart is where our deepest callings and needs are found.

How many times, in my heart, I have had every good intention of sending a card, visiting the sick and elderly with food, wanted to pursue a cause, wanted to support a needy project, wanted to take a class, or pursue a new course, and have found reasons not to in the "noes" of my mind. In the end, isn't what is the most memorable, the most helpful, the most gratifying and satisfying that which we felt first as a "yes" of the heart?

I wonder, as I sit here writing this, if Charlie will one day say, "Gee, I wish I had followed my heart and continued to take those piano lessons".

Return to the TeaParty index