The last ten days

Now I know it has been 10 days or so since you last heard about my summer ordeals, but rest assured the last 10 days have been breath-taking and eye-opening. To some the 10 days were filled with a dull, drawn-out, mind-boggling game of channel-changing. But my 10 days consisted of philosophical inquiry, mental relief, satisfaction and anguish through music, arguments, laughter, calculations, frustration, and happiness.

I guess I should start by saying this: with time positive things will arrive, be it improving on an instrument you have struggled with for 3 weeks or catching the game tying point in Ultimate Frisbee to boost your confidence tenfold or even understanding the philosophy that has dominated your psyche since birth. Yeah, I agree, the latter one is not something you would come across often, but hey I was thinking about that stuff almost everyday in the last 10 days.

One of the main successes I had in the last ten days was my ability to overcome failures in tabla playing. This last month provided me with a great challenge when it came to tabla playing. Whether it was the form, the strike of my hand to the drum, or my rhythm that was incorrect, I still couldn't play the harmonious sounds that once resonated through my entire home. My instructor had given me all the necessary tools to succeed and learn the lesson within a week, but I just kept on failing. I played tirelessly hour upon hour, failing each time I tried to improve in one area of my playing. Now I have been through a ton of failure in my life, be it through love, academics, family, hobbies, whatever, this failure was exceptionally difficult to overcome. I was in a slump. It took 3 weeks to get out of the slump, bu. THREE WEEKS! Shoot, I could have watched 42 hours of SportsCenter in those three weeks if I just quit when the slump started. Obviously, I didn't get to see those 42 hours of SC, but I did learn a huge lesson that just keeps on reappearing in my life. "Failure + Failure - Worry = success." Weird logic, but it makes sense to me! I am back on track now, folks.

This was definitely a lesson learned only through time. Over and over this lesson appears in my life. And now I realize it and will use it to my advantage, as opposed to the previous habit of ignoring it and worrying about my failures! Be happy, my friends!