She Loves It
My 52-Year-Old Bride is Loving Her Piano Lessons
You’re Never Too Old To Learn Something New
About three weeks ago, I was busy writing as usual. I received an instant message from my bride, Mai. I love getting messages from her during our workdays, so I paused the writing to read it. She had an idea she wanted to run by me.
She wanted to start taking piano lessons. At age 52. I thought this was a badass idea and told her so. You can see the back and forth about it here:
My Bride is one of those people who seems to be good at everything they do. I know she’d disagree or attempt to be humble when hearing that, but it’s true. She’s one of the best therapists around. She often hears from clients that she’s the first counselor they’ve had who really listened and was a wonderful human being.
She does amazing artwork and has produced some of the coolest pieces I’ve ever seen. I half-jokingly claim each one she makes, even on commissioned artwork someone has hired her to do. She gets a kick out of the fact that I send her this every time she sends me a picture of a completed piece:
But that’s just because she does amazing work. And because I love encouraging her. I believe in her. Just as she does in me, with my writing. We are each other’s biggest supporters and fans.
Seriously, check out some of these pieces. These are just a handful of my favorite ones she’s created in the eleven years we’ve been together. I am proud to be the owner of the largest collection of Mai Provencio originals in the world.
My point about her new endeavor of learning piano at age 52 is this: You’re never too far along in your life journey to attempt something new. Especially if you really want to do it, and have a passion for learning.
Mai played the violin back in junior high. Though she didn’t stick with it, she has a bit of a musical background. It’s just awesome though that now, some 35 years later, she’s suddenly wanting to learn how to play the piano.
She was moved by some classical-style piano music she had recently heard. It was this piece titled Mariage d’ Amour that inspired her to want to learn how to play the piano and start taking lessons at age 52. I get it, this piece is beautiful and amazing. It moved her to tears.
I mentioned to her that I was planning to write a piece about her new musical journey and her piano lessons. She thought that was sweet and told me the following about her motivation to learn the piano at this stage of her life:
“I’m a late learner. In other words, because I’m somewhat immature (and that’s not a bad thing) it takes me a little longer to ‘get’ what I should be doing and focusing on.
It doesn’t matter how long it takes you. Do it whenever, but when others were learning these things, I was busy focusing on something else. Now I’m learning because I understand the importance for myself and yes, I wish I had learned sooner but it’s okay. I’ll learn now.”
I adore this woman.
This type of realization and the desire to learn something you suddenly are inspired to do can relate to anything. Piano lessons. Taking up a new sport. Or writing on Medium.
I started this Writer’s Journey of mine at age 47. I had never planned to become a writer, but 16 months later, I’m obsessed with it. Just ask my family how many hours a day I’m on my laptop. Or how many weekends I’ve gone into my writing office on both Saturday and Sunday to write.
Don’t ever convince yourself that you’re too old to do something. An illiterate man named George Dawson who was the son of slaves learned to read at 98. He wrote a book titled, “Life is Good” at the age of 102. This is amazing, and so inspirational.
In fact, he inspired another man named James Henry. Henry was a career fisherman in Connecticut who first started to learn to read at age 92. After a delay of a few years, he dove back into it at 96, and wrote a handwritten manuscript titled, “In a Fisherman’s Language”. It sold over 1800 copies immediately, being purchased as far away as California to Greece.
If you have a desire to learn something new, by all means, give it a go. If you doubt yourself as a writer here on Medium because of your age, don’t. I guarantee that if you have the drive and passion for doing something creative or artistic, you can succeed at it regardless of your age.
George Dawson and James Henry did it as authors. Jason Provencio is doing it as a blogger. And Mai Provencio is going to be rocking on the piano like Elton John, sooner than later.
We all believe in ourselves. And we believe in you, too. &:^)
