A Sweet Sound

Lately I've taken to listening to jazz. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I've been against it before or don't have the CDs of various artists. Truth is, I've been a fan for quite some time, just not enough to actively seek out John Coltrane or Louis Armstrong or what have you. I think part of me thought it best served those in another age bracket, preferably the 35-55+ range, not 18-25.

I'm not sure if it's a sign of me growing older or just a reaction to my current status, a way to cope without having to admit how much this whole thing is getting to me. Who knows...One thing of which I'm sure is I'm quickly gaining an even greater appreciation for it.

One of the reasons jazz carries such appeal for me is the way anything can be acceptable.
Sharp on a note?
That's OK.
Missed key stroke on the piano or accidental squeak of the sax?
It's just the nature of the beast. Keep playing and it will all round itself out.

Errors are never that, they're simply variations of the way it was meant to be, interpretations of the original creation. If only we each took the same approach to life, not worrying about what someone might think if we make a mistake and (God forbid!) come off looking something close to human.
Kick a crack in the sidewalk and stumble?
That's OK.
Find out you were wrong about something you thought to be true?
It's just the nature of the beast. Keep talking and learning and everything will figure itself out.

So often in life we wonder what others are thinking, wonder if we're being accepted in the eyes of a club or specific social group or what have you. If we all just decided to live our lives as best we could and not worry about what anyone but God thinks, we'll all be better served in the process.

One way we can do that is to take another lesson from jazz and improvise. It's a strength in the art form and should be utilized more in the real world. Sure, we plan our lives will go a certain way. We'll work our way up through the entry-level job and pay our dues, then move on to the next employer with the higher pay rate, work our way through that company, possibly get married and start a family by 30 or 35, then keep progressing up through the ranks to get to that salary we think will make everything right with the world.

That isn't how God moves and it sure isn't how life works.

Life comes in the glitches. It's not only about what happens, but how we respond to what has happened. Life is about the subsequent and continuous forks in the road that various crises impart into our lives while we're busy planning our future. It's the improvisations that make life worth living, that bring unexpected joy or heartache to our lives. I, for one, would hate to live a life exclusively pragmatic. I need to improvise.

Sure, we make mistakes, those are bound to happen.
We can either let it ruin the song or we can keep on playing.
The choice is ours.