Moments of joy

One kind act can stick in someone’s memory for a day, a month, a year. Part of the wonder is in the not knowing; the unknowable truth that something you do might be the fuel that keeps someone going in a difficult time. I was thinking back to the moments last year that made me smile. A common theme is that most of them involve the kindness of another person. The note left on a piano for me to read, someone looking around anxious only to turn excited as a loved one turns up, the person who holds open a door for someone else. Kind acts make the world go around.

Last year, after a long flight, I sat down at a piano to play. I had not played piano in two weeks, owing to my being unable to find one on my trip. I yearned for the piano. Almost every day I would think to myself “I want to play a piano.” Here I was, near a public piano. Another person was playing, during which time I stuck up a conversation with someone sitting near by. We spoke about music and schooling. Later, when the piano was free, I sat down to play a few songs. I felt a new energy come back after my tiring journey. I was reinvigorated for the moments I sat to play.

Then, a young woman came over. She lived in New York and commanded a great knowledge of the piano. The details are blurry now, but after a short conversation we started playing together. Owing to my more intuitive approach – playing by ear – to the piano, it took a moment or two for us to get on the same page. She taught me the song Chopsticks. Or, at least, we tried. We made a noise that sounded pretty good, in my opinion! I never caught the name of the woman with whom I was playing; she and I both had trains to catch. My train, to go home. Her train, to the next phase in her travels.

I had not slept in almost a day but when I got home I had a memorable conversation with someone and then played the piano with someone else. This moment still brings me great joy. The fact that all this happened serendipitously brings delight and makes me reflect on all the other moments like this one. I wonder how everyone I met that day are doing.