Over the past few days we’ve had a few changes. So many things. A busy time and lots of fun out at toddler birthday parties and playdates. I also spent some time searching for and trying out different pianos, having finally decided enough was enough and the time had come to get organised and find one.
And finally getting my piano (at long last) has made me wonder how I ever survived without it for so long. And it made me question what makes a home.
That exact thing that makes a home feel like your home, can be difficult to pinpoint It will vary from person to person. It is so individual. For many, I have heard that a home is where your loved ones are. That it is anywhere that your family is. But when people move away and relocate, often for work, then family is no longer part of the equation.
So when it comes to the bricks and mortar of the house, what can it be that will convert it from merely a house to a home? It’s something that I had not really thought about until just last week when my acoustic piano arrived.
This piano is not the first i’ve had, but you would’ve thought it was by my school girl excitement! For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a piano at home. I grew up with a piano in the house, and in fact it was a daily part of life for me to practise the piano first thing in the morning before school, before and after dinner and last thing at night. Then when I moved out of home to go to study at university, I used the pianos (we had two) at our halls of residence. Then when I moved out into my own apartment I soon acquired a piano to use. When I later relocated for work, I ended up moving several times even within the same city, and then from one city to the next, across the globe, and as this pattern continued over a decade I quickly obtained a digital piano to take with me as I moved house, but was never in one place long enough to get an acoustic piano until now.
And now, for the first time in a long time, I feel at home …. at last! It was this indescribable feeling, a sort of contentment that washed over me when my piano arrived. I wa so excited when I chose my piano.
But when my piano finally arrived, the excitement that had been building up over the days just prior, dissapated. And transformed into this feeling that at long last my house (to which I usually tried to avoid), at last felt like home. A place that I could call my home. And what a wonderful feeling that is!
It is amazing how something like a piano, can cause such emotion and reaction. Now when I walk into the lounge, I sigh, a sigh a contentment when I see the piano. And I cannot wait to sit down at the piano to play. The physical feeling of sitting down at the piano to play, is so incredibly satisfying and it lifts up my mood too. Although I’ve always had a digital (touch sensitive) piano with me to practise on, it is just not the same. Although useful and practical, the digital piano just cannot compare.
On reflection, I think the reason that having a piano in the house has had such an impact on me is that it is familiar. Up until recently, I had always had an acoustic piano on hand that I could practise on whenever I wished. To play the piano provides me with an opportunity to not just express myself but also to unwind, de-stress and to almost go into a state of meditation. It truly is a necessity for emotional wellbeing and quite frankly, sanity!
And it is that feeling of familiarity (that you get from family) that can turn a house into a home.
You can watch my short video clip here:-
I now look forward to spending many more hours at the piano.
I would very much like to hear your experiences with the piano or any other passion of yours, and what it is that makes a home for you? Please share in the comments below.
Best wishes,
Alice
Alice Letts 