While My Guitar Gently Weeps (and heals me)
Today was a tough day. But as I read this week’s short-form theme by Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她), a smile slowly started to appear across my face. I got excited thinking of all the things I was passionate about and could talk about for 15 minutes straight on the fly. My body began to perk up from the slump it was in. There was only one problem, which topic do I choose?!
I love my kids — and I talk about them all the damn time. I’ve had quite an affinity for Crossfit for the last ten years — but people seem intimated when I write about my strong snatch. And of course, there’s my guitar — the world has to know by now that I love playing guitar.
Then it hit me.
Why do I love playing guitar? I can sum that up in two words: Music Heals. Here’s an outline of my 15-minute presentation on the healing effects of music and how it’s stitched up the deepest lacerations of my heart with its (guitar) strings.
0–5 minutes
- I’d start with the most appropriate way I can think of — with an instrumental guitar intro.
- Then, I’d introduce myself, give a big smile to the audience and tell them how grateful I was for every single one of them coming to hear my presentation — Music Heals.
- I’d be reluctant to move onto the next part, but I’d do it anyway. I would ask for the audience's mercy (and open-mindedness) as I shared the memory of my dad in his Police uniform playing the guitar for me on his lunch hour. I’d say something like, “The world has been turned upside down by the recent tragedies involving Law Enforcement — but my dad was one of the good ones. It’s because of him I know how to heal myself through music.”
5-10 minutes
- For a full five minutes, I would sum up my heartache over the last twenty-five years and how my guitar saved my life every single time.
10-15 minutes
- After all my gut-wrenching stories, I’d talk about how I grew as a musician and a human simply by strumming my guitar to the beat of my own drum.
- I’d thank everyone once again for their warmth and attention and call out one of the raffle tickets I handed out at the beginning of my presentation. That person would win an instrument of their choosing and free lessons for a year.
- Naturally, I’d end my 15-minute minute presentation by asking my dad to join me on stage, and we’d bring the house down with an original feel-good song we wrote.
Thank you for your love and support. You Are Loved. ❤
© 2021 Divina Grey.
Divina Grey is a ferocious woman and mother rebuilding her life one article at a time. She likes long bike rides, singing and playing her guitar, an electrifying workout, and a cup of coffee so decadent she can feel the frothiness in her bones. Over the last twenty-five years, Divina has stockpiled a collection of journals in an elegant wooden chest and is oozing with gratitude for the chance to share her staggering long-time love of writing with the world.
