I am the proprietor of the Penguin Cafe, I will tell you things at random… — Simon Jeffes
I love that song! I love that Cafe! And there, hiding in the corner of Higher Taste, the Hare Krishna vegetarian restaurant we have lunch in fairly frequently, I found a harmonium – or something similar – equally harmonious.
Isn’t that so often the way? We try something scary and new, and after some misgivings we find ourselves strangely comforted by what has become commonplace. Often our comfort zone isn’t all that comfortable in the first place – it fits too comfortably – squeezes up on our shoulders and itches on our necks. Did you put on weight? No, I don’t think so, but you have expanded beyond the fit of your reality.
I resisted the temptation to take the harmonium down to give it a whirl. I can’t play any musical instruments at all and the results of all the mistakes would be disturbing. At first. Gradually though, if I continued to play, a couple of things might happen. I could get better and music would result. My audience could go deaf, or simply adjust their aesthetic to like my playing. Or just maybe, after a few years mutual practice, we could all come together – my sounds becoming music, and my audience comes to like it. Creative harmony, at last. And we would’ve forgotten all the mistakes.
I get better results when I pay less attention to the mistakes, and more attention to the getting it right.
Manifesto
13. Every day be better than you were the day before.
24. Every day is a journey. Not a destination.
26. Every day take action. Every small step counts.
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