The piano helps me overcome depression

I first started playing piano when I was about 4 years old.  I remember sitting at the piano trying to play 3 notes consistently.  The notes were written on giant white paper cards like this 

and I remember thinking it was soooo difficult.  I just couldn't remember what key to push down.  But, over time and many hours of sitting on that round stool I finally learned which keys to push.  I remember sitting at the piano waiting for the kindergarten bug to arrive. I used to ride to school in the backseat of a Volkswagon Beetle.  I think it was white.  The lady would pull up to the front and I would jump down from the piano and run out to her car.  Somedays I recall not being ready when the lady arrived.  So, my mother made me walk to school.  It was very very very far.  Since those days I have driven that road and discovered that it was about 2 miles from the house to the kindergarten.  I cried the whol way there.  All because i either didn't get up early enough or I played with toys too long or maybe I didn't finish practicing the piano . I do recall getting in trouble often because I hadn't finished practicing.  The piano teacher said I should practice for ten minutes, per school grade, everyday.  So, in first grade I had to practice for ten minutes.  in 6th grade I had to spend one hour per day at that piano . Those minutes seemed to drag by slower than frozen glaciers.  IF I missed a day I had to make it up on Saturday . There were many many many many many saturday's where I spent the entire morning and much of the afternoon sitting on that round piano bench stool playing music. I hated it.  So, when I was 12 years old and studying piano with Mr. Eugene Masluk, a Ukrainian concert pianist who escaped from WW2 while riding on a tank, my mother told me that I could quit piano if I wanted... I quit.  At the time I thought it was the best gift I had ever been given.  

Now, 50 years later I love the piano.  SOmething changed over the years.  It happened slowly.  The piano brings me solace and peace.  Life turned around and turned upside down sooooo many times over the last 50 years that my only solace often felt like it was found in a simple sad song on the piano.  yes, I struggled with depression.  When you fight to survive, fall down, stand up, fall down again, stand up again, 1000000 times, soon you experience depression whwen it gets more difficult to recover everytime you fall.  So, piano provides me with a few minutes of peace and tranquility in a world of struggle.  The piano brings me joy when nothing else does.  When my smile goes away, the piano lifts my soul.  My favorite piano sounds are the haunting notes.  The ones that sound dissonant and sad.  Those notes seem to reflect how I feel inside sometimes.  Playing those notes allows the frustrations, sadness, anger, depression, etc. to get out so I can smile again.  

I don't know why I wrote all of that.  But, perhaps it will help somebody who struggles with daily life to find a moment to smile again when they hear a piano.  The purity of the notes is peaceful, beautiful, soothing to me.  I LOVE THE PIANO.

It took me decades to find my soul inside the piano.  You can find yours too.  Just take a moment to sit down and ponder the simplest of things in life.  It might be those piano tones, the pure tone with every note...or it might be something in nature....whatever it is...it's worth it to find what brings you peace and tranquility in life.  There is always something that is beautiful that can help you feel better about yourself.  You are worth it!