Re: Re: Re: Please Indulge Me (***LONG***)


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Posted by Steve Dedman on November 22, 2001 at 01:52:10:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Please Indulge Me (***LONG***) posted by Dave on November 22, 2001 at 01:02:45:

I'm not a professional player. I'd like to be, and I know I can be, but I have a lot of time to spend on the horn before that's a reality. I realize what that means in terms of practice time and personal sacrifice. I realize what I'm asking my loved ones to sacrifice. However, that DOESN'T mean that I have to abandon my human responsibility to my fellow human beings. It's all a matter of balance. I don't feel that I have to go out and change the world. All I have to do to make a difference is to change the world of one person, for a little while.

I mentioned in another thread my involvement with a local chapter of Parrot Heads in Paradise. Yes, we get together and have fun, but we also give to charities. The simple act of spending $5 at the grocery store for a dozen cans of food means that someone somewhere in my community gets a decent meal tonight. The simple act of donating a quilt means that someone else sleeps in a warmer bed tonight.

Life isn't all about what kind of difference you make on the world. It's about what kind of difference you make on YOUR CORNER of the world. Yes, somone has to worry about the other, less wealthy countries like Afghanistan and Mozambique, but giving to UNICEF or one of the other international relief agencies is a big way to make a lot of things happen. If everyone thinks about the difference they can make in their little corner of the world, guess what? Everyone is looking out for each other. Utopian? Probably. But in the end, it's the only way to get any satisfaction out of life.

Balance and perspective. If you never get out of the practice room or away from the horn for an evening or a day, you'll never acheive either one.

My $0.02

SD


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