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Timing Is Everything

I am back with another appreciation post. And the next few posts will be about tiny moments in school, that had dramatic impact on my way of thinking, and on shaping me and my future!

Please, please note, there is nothing wrong. I am completely okay and very happy. I appreciate your concern. I'm not thinking bad thoughts, only good ones! 🙂

But yeah, I'm probably going to get annoying with all of this positivity - you have been warned haha. 

So this one is about another teacher. Miss Amos. Music teacher at Mandeville County Upper School (as it was called then). Incidentally I can see what was my music room, from my window as I write this! I may not have moved very far, but I have come a long way!

In the final year of Mr Wise's class, the 4th year "moved up" for a day and experienced secondary school (high school). In our music "lesson" Miss Amos had set up a piano keyboard and let us all have a go at playing something. I never had a keyboard or any musical instruments (I was once given a guitar with 1 string which got thrown onto a bonfire - if only I'd known about "Chicken On The Corn!") 

I mean I played the recorder when I was younger - very poorly - and I had failed the audition for the violin - by being tone deaf apparently!

Anyway, the keyboard was set to auto-accompaniment, so that when you play the lower keys in turn, the rhythm would change to the chord that corresponds to that key. 

I was just having some fun but something seemed to light up in Miss Amos. In front of the class she told me that I had perfect timing! 

The energy shifted slightly, like when you bang your head and the image looks different for a short moment. It was like I'd had an out of body experience for that microsecond or whatever. 

It took me a few moments to register and process.

This was the FIRST teacher ever to say I was perfect at ANYTHING and she had no problem in saying that in front of the whole class. To me it meant she wasn't embarrassed of complimenting ME. 

Also, my timing was NEVER good in any other areas of my life - in fact my timing ALWAYS sucked lol. 

That comment there, unbeknown to me at the time, planted a seed! Did she know? I think she probably did! 

In all honesty though I flunked out of Miss Amos's music as I found it a struggle at the time - other things were going on for me personally - but I truly believe her recognition in that very moment spawned something bigger for me, that I had no idea about at the time. 

So I say thanks to her here, and if you happen to be in contact with her, please pass on my gratitude for me.

I'm setting the challenge for you all to lean into your vulnerability and give appreciation to someone else, if this is something you feel you cannot do but want to!

Have a great day and I'll be back with another name soon x


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