Apr 23, 2013
Central Africa's Only Orchestra: Playing Beethoven in Kinshasa - SPIEGEL ONLINE
Every now and then I need a reality check. Most of the time I am fairly optimistic, but there are times when I get so caught up in my own world, thinking that my financial struggles are so difficult, that my house needs so many repairs, that there are so many things I need (or want).
Recently I discovered a crack in my windshield. I let it go a few days. I was busy. It was the weekend. While I was taking a break from thinking about the windshield, the crack grew. On a Monday morning I called my insurance company. The woman who took the call asked, "Is the crack bigger than the space covered by a dollar bill?" Oops. Now I learned that it would require replacing the entire windshield, not merely fixing the crack. "Let me check your coverage," she said and put me on hold. Coming back on the line she explained, "You don't have coverage for that, but we can get you a discount with the company that is our partner." Zing. I didn't see this one coming. I had replaced a windshield in a previous car and it didn't cost me a cent. When money got tight after I lost my business I reduced my car insurance without really thinking through the consequences. Penny wise and pound foolish, you silly woman, my inner dialog continued as I was informed that it would cost several hundred dollars (after the discount) to get the windshield replaced. Hanging up the phone and lapsing into self-pity I see everything that is wrong with and in my life and I begin my "Litany of Lack" taxes due April 15, bathroom caulk needs replaced, kitchen sink needs a new faucet, wallpaper is peeling in the hallway, back yard is ugly, porch needs repairs, the clothes dryer is old, retirement funds virtually non-existent... I can go on like this for a while seeing everything and everyone (including me) as broken or not enough. I can become overwhelmed and paralyzed. I don't like living in this space, but it is hard, sometimes to find the Out Door.
AND then, whack, with the holy 2x4, I come across something that reminds me just how lucky I am, just how much I have. And today, I was reminded that even my "Litany of Lack" is, itself, a LUXURY. I have a roof over my head, hot and cold clean running water, plenty of food along with a refrigerator to keep it in. I sleep in a bed and drive on paved streets. I am rich. I have so much to be thankful for, including the space and time in which to write this. And thankful for the "whacks on the head" that knock the scales from my eyes and the whine from my throat!
Today's reality check came to me by way of Der Spiegel International's English site. It is the story of Central Africa's Only Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique Kimbanguiste and how these musicians manage to play Handel and Beethoven amid the rubble that is Kinshasa. I am grateful to be able to put my troubles, real as they are, into perspective.
Central Africa's Only Orchestra: Playing Beethoven in Kinshasa - SPIEGEL ONLINE
A more up-to-date posting can be found at Orchestra of the Age of Enlightment which also has links to the the Orchestre Symphonique Kimbanguiste website.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
What I love about "This is Wednesday" is that it never fails to whack me out of the complacency of forgetting my many blessings.
ReplyDeleteDon't we all need to be reminded of this time and time again! I know I do :) I was feeling a similar way, looking around my house recently, but it is a good reminder to be thankful!!!!
ReplyDelete