My piano books came today! Life in quarantine can be maddeningly quiet. You don’t realize how much you love the buzz of social babble until you go without it for weeks on end, especially when you have no roommates to let you pretend you aren’t talking to yourself. As such, I’m on a constant mission to break the silence. My mood was always projected through my small portable Bluetooth speaker until that broke a couple of weeks ago. I guess my phone speakers will have to do for now. Sometimes when I can’t settle on appropriate theme music I’ll simply open my windows a crack, even on the chilliest days to usher in the sounds of the birds nesting in the corner of my balcony roof and my neighbors coming and going from their days’ errands. I can’t help but keep my ears peeled for the gentle whir of the engine on the mail truck that reliably graces the stillness shortly after half past ten everyday. 

I usually take time daily to contribute to the sound of activity in the world by playing piano music on my little keyboard. I’ve started doing this with the windows open as spring heats up and, when it stops raining so much, I may even set up my keyboard on my balcony and serenade my neighbors, whether they like it or not. So far, no one has come banging on my door to tell me to keep it down. However, although I’ve been playing the piano since I was five years old, learning new music and keeping in good practice hasn’t always been a priority. No time like the present! I thought my neighbors might enjoy some musical variety so I recently ordered new piano books full of well known and easy to learn tunes. I can’t wait to start playing some new music! Are you stuck at home and looking for a way to fill the quiet monotony? Is there a project you’ve been meaning to get to or a skill you’ve always wished you had a better grasp of? Maybe today is the day you make it happen.