Cranky Upgrade

Writing a blog like mine can be depressing. Not the writing. That part is fun. It is constantly reading and listening to news that brings one down. If you are attempting to blog about conditions in the world though, you must put in your time doing the homework.

Lately conditions are so bad that I found myself always depressed about something. There are way too many somethings out there to be depressed about. I decided that something had to change. I thought about cutting back on the number of essays that I produce. I decided that would change nothing.

I needed something new and different. So I thought about a number of things. Most were too expensive or would get me in trouble with the law or my wife. So after much agitation and contemplation, three months ago, I bought a ukulele.

The perfect solution. It is cheap. My first one was only fifty dollars. They are supposed to be fairly easy to learn. Emphasis on fairly. I like music. And I was looking for a diversion not a career. There is also all kinds of on-line support. 

So my new uke arrived via UPS. I learned to tune it on-line and also found some on-line instruction. Things went fairly well. The soprano uke I bought was somewhat difficult because I have big hands. But I was having fun. I bought a second uke. A tenor. The bigger size fits my stature better.

I decided early on that I would take pleasure in the process and not worry about the results. The process has been a ball and I have actually had some results. I now have a repertoire of ten songs and play every day. I haven't had this much childlike fun in years.

This morning, on the occasion of our fifty-fifth anniversary, I sang and played Happy Anniversary to my wife. She neither laughed nor fled the room. I consider that a victory.

Now I am only depressed when I actually study the news. It is impossible not to be. But I pick up my uke and hum and strum and revive my soul. Everyone needs some simple joy in their life and I lost sight of that. So write some poetry or sing or teach yourself the ukulele. It is time well spent.