They Also Serve

My kids play the piano. At least one plays music with such tightly written notes that I could never begin to read or play them, as I gave up trying far too early in life. She has tried hard, fought hard, and now, she can play the things with the tightly written notes. And the recognizable songs with the less tightly written ones.
 
As for me, I turn the pages. For a song not yet memorized, I stand at the piano, and when she nears the end of the page, I flip to the next page in the music book. Not too early, so that she misses the last few notes on the page, or too late, so that she has to pause before starting the next page. Perhaps it is not that hard, particularly compared to what she is doing, but it is a job that requires me to focus completely on what she is doing. And for a person who is used to splitting focus most, if not all, of the time, that can be a challenge.
 
Clearly, I will never be able to play the piano as she does--my time for getting to that point (even if I ever had the ability) is over. As I turn her pages, however, I am reminded of the importance not just of exercising creativity, but of supporting creativity as well. Even if our own time and talents are limited, our ability to foster the creative endeavors of others is still there. Whether it's getting our kids to lessons or talking about their dreams, going to shows and concerts or using our own talents to promote the arts, or even just turning pages for our resident musicians, what we do matters. Kind of the same way that every cup of coffee brought by a PA and every script revision brought by a writers' assistant matters.
 
I am getting better at my page turning--self-taught, thank you very much. It may not be much, but if it helps my daughter keep playing and learning, I'll be there to serve, fingers ready, any night of the week.