Transcriber: Giorgia Cotrufo Reviewer: Hani Eldalees
Maybe you know an introvert.
Someone who doesn’t like to stand in front of people
or play the piano in front of strangers.
I was like that until a group of people in a senior living home helped me.
If you ever feel shy, afraid of messing up,
remember that people will help you.
It starts when you say yes.
This was two years before Covid, at my house.
April, my piano teacher, stopped the music halfway through a weekly lesson.
She goes:
“William, you know I’m playing at a senior home every Sunday.
Since I’m going to university, I can’t keep going there.
Will you fill in for me?”
I feel sad. I don’t want April to leave. I don’t want another piano teacher.
I do feel proud that I’m only 11 and she trusts me
and I don’t want to disappoint April. So I nodded, “yes”.
20 minutes later, I waved goodbye to April for the last time.
As she drives off, I realize I don’t want to go to the senior home.
I feel instant regret.
I started playing piano when I was in China.
Now I live in Canada.
I play for myself and I don’t play for strangers.
Then Sunday arrives.
Fifteen minutes in the car feels like two hours, in silence.
I was tired.
I had no appetite and I had skipped breakfast.
I remember having so many conversations.
“Mom, I don’t want to go there.”
“Mom, I’m not good enough.”
“Mom, I don’t have thirty minutes of songs to play.”
Mom always said these three things to me.
“First, you promised April.
Second, the seniors need someone to play for them.
Third, just try it.
If it doesn’t work out, we’ll try to find someone else to do it, just try.”
This was a big deal.
I imagined wrong note, rhythm off, disappointing the seniors.
I don’t want to do anything like that.
Mom parks.
I watched my black uniform shoes
as I follow my mom to the front door, through the front office.
Then following a secretary past the empty white cafeteria,
down the hall to a small room
the size of a living room, with a couple of soft couches.
about 20 people on wheelchairs are crowded into the room.
I feel surprised.
A small room, no stage, and 18 of the 20 people were sound asleep.
Maybe I’ll be OK.
I make my way down the room to the piano facing the wall.
My first piece is Prelude in C Major by Bach.
Looking at the wall, pretending to be alone in my home.
It feels really weird.
The piano keys are smaller than a standard piano.
The foot pedal was spungy.
It is in tune yet bright like a piano in an old movie.
I concentrate, getting lost making this piano work
and in the music too, feeling happy.
I played every song I know, then looked at my watch.
Only sixteen minutes?!
What should I do now?
I stand.
I bow.
I see more seniors are awake.
Quiet claps.
I walk to my mom.
Next to her, a tall, gray-haired man stands up, eyes lit up.
“Did you learn from April?”
I feel surprised that he knows about April and how I’m filling in for her.
“Yes,” I said.
That moment, Rosemary arrives,
the staff member who is organizing the event.
You can go. Next time, try to play for 30 minutes.
I walk out feeling embarrassed that I couldn’t fill the 30 minutes,
yet happy that I was done.
I did it.
That was my first time at the senior home.
Next time I took two of my friends Eric and John with me.
I played for 15 minutes, then they played for 15 minutes.
We played piano every Sunday at that senior home for 2 years.
Until Covid.
If you think about my experience, remember: first, I nodded “yes.”
If your piano teacher or someone asks you to volunteer, say yes.
Remember I asked Eric and he said yes.
And then I asked John and John said yes, too.
You can invite a friend.
We played piano every Sunday for two years, until Covid.
I thought I was helping the seniors,
but it turned out that they were helping me.
Instead of feeling introverted, shy, afraid of messing up,
I started growing feelings of confidence and connection.
During my 2 years at the senior home, I saw different faces each week.
Now new faces don’t feel like strangers anymore.
And my piano skills are improving.
I feel appreciation.
Every single time after I play,
I stand, walking around, shaking hands.
They say “Thank you for the music” or “How was your day?”
Remember tall great gray-haired George, who knew April?
Turns out that he played the guitar when he was my age.
George pushes his wife’s wheelchair.
Every Sunday, they listen and say hello.
If you ever feel shy, afraid of messing up,
find a way to volunteer your time.
When you help others, they will help you.
Give it a try.