The Slide of Death

Have you ever been in an embarrassing and scary situation? Embarrassing cause its... well embarrassing and scary because you don’t see a way out? Well these situations seem to happen to me quite often. I don’t really know why either...

 

Anyway about 2 years ago my family was visiting relatives in Sisters, Oregon. If you've ever been there then you know that there's nothing once you get outside the city limits. Its like you're in the middle of nowhere. After a week of fun and visiting we left for home. For some reason we made a stop at this motel headquarters place thing and while my parents went in the rest of us decided to hit the little playground. 

 

We had the whole place to ourselves. Not a single person in sight. Dating back to my youth, I have always liked slides. True story. Never met a slide I didn’t like. Well this playground had a little enclosed slide. Nothing to get excited about really. I went down a couple of times, just for kicks and decided it wasn’t worth it. A little while later my youngest sister, Katherine, 5 at the time, challenged me to a sliding competition. Not one to turn down a challenge I accepted her game of slide. Big mistake!!!

 

If you're youngest (and smallest) sibling EVER challenges you to something find a way to "try" then politely decline. 

 

I politely let her go first and she started things off with a bang! She doubled up over her legs and went down the slide backwards! I was impressed. As the oldest brother I take pride in the feats that my siblings can pull off. After she had gone down I gave her the proper amount of applause and prepared for my attempt. I was just contemplating what I should do when Katherine turned to me and said "Ha! You cant do that!” Challenging me in fun is one thing. Taunting and daring is another, even if you are family. I turned to her and said "oh yeah? Watch this!" Looking back I see that I should've put aside my competitive juices and declared her the winner, like something out of "Little House on the Prairie". 

 

Anyway I got up there, sat, turned around, doubled up over my legs, and launched myself. It was a good run, till I got to the point where the slide curves at the bottom. I came to a sudden and complete stop. Not good. There I was facing backward, hands reaching toward my feet, stuck in a little kids slide. After a few seconds, in which my siblings expected me to come hurtling out of the slide, I made my mayday call, "hey guys! I’m stuck!” There was a shocked silence. Then pandemonium broke out. People began to laugh, ask me how I was stuck, try to get me out... complete chaos. One brother tried pulling me out the bottom, but that didn’t work cause every time he pulled I could feel each disk in my spine stretch to the point of severe pain. My other brother tried to reach down the slide to pull me back up, but envisioning him falling in and killing me (or worse, crippling me) I screamed at him to keep himself at least 5 feet away from the slide. 

 

After those failed rescue attempts I did what every kid in a precarious situation does. I yelled for my mom. Screamed is more like it. Usually a mothers voice has a soothing effect on the victim in question. Not this time. As she came walking over (yes, walking) I could hear her laughing hysterically. That really didn’t have a "calming" effect on me. There I am stuck in a slide, panicking about how their going to get me out, and my own mother is laughing at the whole thing! And I have to say that I was in a lot of pain. My body was not made to be in that position for that amount of time. 

 

Once my mom came over she called for my dad. He couldn’t think of anything either. I was starting to get desperate. Thank the Lord I didn’t have to go to the bathroom! We would have been in BIG trouble. So finally (I really don’t know how) they were able to pull me out the bottom without causing damage to my back. Once I was out I just lay on the ground, stretching out my back, breathing in the fresh air, and just being thankful for freedom. After a few seconds I became aware of laughing. Like a lot of laughing. You know how I said we were the only ones there? Well as soon as I got stuck people began to pop up out of nowhere. Seriously. There must have been at least 10 other people besides my family. They all came over thinking it was some little kid stuck in the slide, and when they saw me pop out they busted up. I don’t know if I’ve ever been so embarrassed. It was quite humbling. So after I had recovered we got back in the can and drove happily into the sunset. 

 

Oh, and in the van, Katherine was like "see, I told you you couldn’t do it!" 

 

She was the undisputed champ. 

 

Give your all.

Are you giving your all?

 

Ponder that question for a while, it’s important. Are you giving your all, going the extra mile, or are you just doing enough to get by? It’s easy to fall into the trap of mediocrity, especially in this day and age. Personally I like nothing better than perfection. Yet quite frequently I find myself doing just enough to get by. Talk about lame! That kind of work ethic will get you nowhere.

 I know this isn't at all like the normal post you expect from me, but it's something that I've been thinking about a lot recently. 

As a follower of Christ, I try to serve Jesus in all that I do, even the little things. It’s hard though. I am far from perfect. It’s only by prayer, and the grace of God, that I am able to put my best foot forward.

 

“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:23

 

Remember this verse brothers and sisters in Christ, the next time you are tempted to do enough to just get by. Don’t sell yourselves short!

 

For everyone reading this post, it takes hard work and endurance to get anywhere in life. Don’t fall into the trap of mediocrity and “going with the flow”. Be the best that you can be in every situation you find yourself in. Don’t settle for less.

 

Give your all. 

Problems

Playing in a quartet has given me opportunities to see different places. Near and far. I like to compare the experience from one place to another, and see what difficulties (better known as problems) always come up. 

One problem that always seems to come up is space. Two violists, one violist and one cellist cannot fit into a small space with chairs and music stands. Especially when all those players are over six feet tall. Its just not happening. For some reason though people think we can fit anywhere. Here's how a typical conversation will go, regarding "where to put the musicians".

Lady #1: "Where should we put the musicians?"

Lady #2: "Oh put them up against that wall"

Lady #1: " I was going to put a table there"

Lady #2 "That's fine, way too much space just for the musicians anyway"

Lady # 1 "What about that small nook over there?"

Lady # 2 "Oh that's perfect! We'll just shove em back in there. Perfect!"

They think that we can fit in a space 3' x 3' no problem. What's really annoying is when we get there and have to try to squeeze ourselves in there. Its pure torture I tell you! 

I always seem to have the misfortune of doing what I call the "bob and weave". Since I sit on the outside I have to constantly be on the lookout for people who think they can somehow walk through me. That's where the "bob and weave" comes into play. When someone is coming close to walking into me and or my instrument (whichever is "in their way") I bob or weave out of their path. Usually I only have to move a few inches. Sometimes though, its like they expect me to move a few feet. You can only do so much while your playing, in a chair I might add. 

Whenever I think about this problem my mind takes me back to a gig we had a few years back. We were playing for a wedding at a mansion. It was a gorgeous place. I was just beginning to think that we might be in luck, looked like there was plenty of space for everyone, but at that moment the wedding coordinator said, "You can set up right in there." as she spoke she pointed to a small alcove off to the side. I looked at the space and shook my head. How can anybody look at a group with two guys over 6' 5" and put them in a small space like that?! Without a second thought! 

Anyway... after we did the limbo getting setup it was time for the wedding. Wouldn't you know it that the whole wedding party had to walk past us to get to the designated spot for the ceremony. Seriously there were only 2 feet between me and the wall, and the whole wedding party had to go through there. Not good. As we played and they came by, I was desperately trying not to poke anyone with my bow or trip anybody. All in all nothing major went wrong. Sure I poked a few people, but I did my best. At least no one did a face plant because of me. 

After the ceremony, (yes I did have to dodge the wedding party again) we played for the reception. Unfortunately the reception was at the same place, so we stayed in the same tiny place. As the party wore on, the room attached to our "space" (this room was small too) began to fill to overflowing. It became impossible to play without poking someone, or having someone bump into me. I pretty much gave up hope and began counting the minuets till we left. During a climatic moment in the party a guy backed into me and leaned on me like I was a piece of furniture! He was there for a good 90 seconds! And when he finally moved he didn't apologies, or acknowledge me as anything more than a piece of furniture!! I mean come on. Give me a break. 

There's really nothing you can do about these situations. You've just gotta go with it and come out on top, being the victor. It's up to us to rise above it all in the face of adversity. Let that be your inspiration for the day. 

Go forth and rise. 

"All exit doors open out"

Exit doors open out. 

Meaning you have to PUSH (not pull) them. I discovered this fact at our last orchestra concert. I went to the door and gave it a good pull. When it didn't open I tried again (always try more than once). After many efforts to pull the door open I concluded that the door must be locked. Thus began my quest to find the janitor...

As time wore on I think the building grew of few hundred square feet. I could not find that guy anywhere! He probably heard that the principle violist was looking for him and decided to hide in a secret room. You might ask, "couldn't you have gone out a different door?" Yes. I probably could have, but it was the principle of the matter. That door was the closest to where I was parked. It wasn't supposed to be locked, and I plain wanted to use that door!!!

Anyway... When I finally found the janitor I explained the problem and quickly led him to the troublesome door. Once we got there I demonstrated how I was pulling the door so he could see that it really would not open (when I first explained the problem he didn't believe me). When my demonstration was done he looked at me like I was a crazy person out to waste his time. Then he very deliberately stepped up to the door, looked at me, (ok glared) and PUSHED the door open. Then, and this is a direct quote, he said, "All exit doors open out!!!" I didn't let this small mistake get to me. Instead I got my gear, PUSHED the door open and left. 

The next day I was filled with gratitude for the janitor who was so kind to take time out of his busy schedule to teach me such a valuable lesson. Its not everyday that one learns such important things. I mean if there was a fire in a building, and I was the person closest to the door, I could have endangered the lives of others thinking the door was locked. Now that I know the truth I wont be a detriment to society. 

Fast forward two weeks. I'm at the Schnitz Concert Hall, leaving actually. I step to the doors and remember the words of that wise old janitor. "All exit doors open out!!!"  With this in mind, I energetically push the door and go to step through.... Let me tell you a little secret that most people probably don't know. ALL EXIT DOORS DO NOT OPEN OUT!!! I came to that conclusion after peeling my face off that glass door. 

There's your random, but brilliant, advice for the day. Take it to heart my friends. You never know when you will need it. 

"All exit doors do not open out". 

Random Inspirations of Brilliance

As I begin this blog let me first say that I am a violist and nothing I say can be used against me. Its not me, just the way things are. Ok, it might be me... ;)

So the purpose of this blog is to give you all a glimpse of well... random inspirations of brilliance. We all have moments when we come up with the most brilliant ideas (brilliant to ourselves, not necessarily others). Some people have these moments more than others. I would put myself in that category. 

Just recently I figured out how to fully operate "Word Document". It is safe to say that I am not known for my accomplishments in technology. ( Word Document technology? Right. Now you know how "slow" I am with computers.) Let me tell you, I feel quite brilliant after managing to foil words mission to fry my brain. I am now very much in control and even enjoy working in word. I used to ask everyone for help, but not anymore! 

Did that last sentence sound like a lame and cheezy "success story" that you hear on the radio every now and then? I thought so. Moving along...

I cant really say that I had any inspirations of brilliance today. Oh!!! I came up with the name for my blog! Naming your blog is not some little thing to take lightly. Nothing like naming your dog, cat, fish, or anything else for that matter. It takes time, effort, and even sacrifice. The name of your blog gives others a glimpse of your identity. You absolutely cannot let pride get in the way of a good name! I think I was rather successful with my name. What do you think?

Thats all for now. Just a very small glimpse of things to come. Be sure to stay tuned and pass this blog on to others. 

Brilliantly yours,

Benjamin