Gather's an unconference - the participants run it. What you get out of the day is what your fellow attendees show up with, not what Keynote Speaker Number Three brings to the table.
The organisers know I play uke though, and I was asked to run a session on it.
I haven't even been playing for a year. I'm not particularly good. But how do you refuse something like that? The tension between no-I-couldn't-possibly and the impossibility of refusing a polite request briefly paralysed me until I heard Carol was going to run it too and then it was all okay.
The organisers know I play uke though, and I was asked to run a session on it.
I think I've written before about how ukulele is very life-afirming. A session leaves you thinking more, yes please, another forty of fifty years of this, I could do this forever, as opposed to say, cleaning the bathroom, which makes the quietus of the grave seem evermore attractive.
Standing up, addressing a room full of people, and singing in front of them was a great experience. You are very brave, someone messaged me, but it didn't feel brave. It felt strong, especially considering all the periods in my life where even considering doing such a thing would leave me in a puddle on the floor. Standing and singing and talking about how rad it is to make simple music just felt right.
Watching people begin to love something the way that one loves it is an amazing thing. That's what gives you the strength and confidence. The delight in watching the delight someone feels when they get it.
ReplyDeleteIt's why I love teaching my dance classes