I have a dream...

I have a little secret.  Or maybe secret isn’t the correct word.  Maybe it’s a dream.  A wish for the future.  Or perhaps it’s merely an item on my to-do list.

I want to/would like to, learn the guitar.  There.  I said.  Not a big deal right?  Well…thing is, I’ve been wanting this on and off for a few years now.  I enjoy singing.  Not that I’m great, I hasten to add, but I can sing.   And I would really love to learn guitar simply for that reason.  I daydream of me sounding like Kina Grannis (you'll need to fast forward to 1:40 to get to her performing):

I think she sounds fantastic – and I’ve always loved the simple sound of someone with a nice voice and a guitar.   But my other secret is: I don’t believe in myself enough to try.  And because of this I will throw up any obstacle or reason to NOT try.

“I don’t own a guitar”

"I'm too old to learn a musical instrument"

“How would I learn? Lessons cost money!”

“When would I practise?”

“I’d just annoy everyone in our house/street/suburb”

“I’d get the guitar and never do anything then have to sell the damn thing on eBay”

I’m not being melodramatic.  I’m not being harsh.  I’m being realistic.

A year ago I took my Dad’s broken banjo and secretly had it repaired and restrung for him.  My intent was to get it repaired and then learn how to play one song and perform it for my Dad on his birthday.  That was last January.  His birthday (in May) came and went, and then I moved the deadline to Christmas.  It didn’t happen then either.

The banjo has been repaired, but I still haven’t made any arrangements to learn a song.  I keep staring at this banjo in our study and berating myself for not fulfilling this project.  But every time I look at the thing, it looks like too much hard work.  Where do you find banjo lessons in Brisbane?  And do I really want to pay for lessons when I only want to learn ONE song?  It doesn’t even matter what song it is – I just want to play something for my Dad and then return it to him.

Anyway, I’m digressing.  By writing this blog I'm making a promise to myself.  Before I die I will have learnt the guitar and sung at least one song for friends and family.  Eeeek!!  Now it looks like I'm in the market for a banjo teacher AND a guitar teacher.


Anyone?

Do you have something that's been niggling away at you to achieve? Learning a musical instrument?  Competing in a triathlon?  Finishing that painting you started years ago?