The teaser found on the cover of Veronica Roth’s book Divergent states that “One Choice Can Transform You.” Well, I can’t rightly say that our choice this weekend changed anyone in my family, but it did make one not so little eleven-year old girl happy. The foundation for our choice was laid a few weeks ago when Meggie’s viola teacher stated in a not so subtle voice and tone that Meggie really needed to get a new instrument. This didn’t surprise me in the least. I don’t know what company made her present viola, but I believe they carved it out of a piece of plywood found on the side of the road. Let’s just say it’s not a Stradivarius.
For those of you who are not aware of the subtle nuances of the string instrument family, a viola is sort of like an oversized violin. Think of it in terms of an actual family. The bass is the daddy. (If you have the lyrics of the classic Johnny Cash song “Daddy Sang Bass” running through your head, just sit back and enjoy the added bonus.) The cello is the mommy and the viola is the big older brother to the darling baby girl of the violin. With its rich, alto sound, I personally think the viola produces one of the most pleasant timbres of the string family.
But I digress from my narrative concerning a choice. Ours was made when Lisa and I selected a store with the reputation of quality and customer service that far surpassed anything we had witnessed so far in our foray into the musical world. Plus, 100% of the first eighteen months of rental fees could be applied toward the purchase of a new instrument. This also surpassed anything we had previously found. Since you grow into various sizes of viola, and Meggie is still sprouting like the proverbial weed, we may have several new violas before the end of that eighteen-month rental period. This store will easily replace a rental instrument for a larger one for no extra charge as you still accrue money toward the final instrument. To me, this seemed like money in the bank, especially when you consider the price of a quality string instrument.
So, our friends think we’re crazy for driving over five hours from Winston-Salem, NC to Bethesda, Maryland to visit the Potter Violin Company to rent a top-quality viola. “Why drive all the way to Washington D.C. when you can rent something here?” my friends said. Others said, “She’s eleven. She’ll never know the difference.” But watching Meggie’s eyes light up when she pulled her bow across the strings of her new fifteen-inch viola made the trip well worth it. Whether the tonal quality was worth the cost of the gas, food, and motel, I’ll never know. However, at that instant when Meggie played her first note, she was the concertmaster leading the opening notes of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She didn’t verbalize this, and it was irrelevant that it is the principal violinist who plays the role of concertmaster. Pride radiated off of her. In that moment, Meggie was in her element, and in that moment, the time, money, and effort of the trip became irrelevant as well. To quote an old MasterCard commercial, the moment was “priceless.”
From this little excursion, I have gleaned several nuggets of truth.
- Don’t be afraid of a choice, even if it takes you a little out of the way of your normal path. You never know what the path will show you.
- When it comes to choices, you don’t necessarily need to listen to the advice of your friends. In Hamlet, Shakespeare has Polonius state, “To thine own self be true.” When you make a choice, be true to yourself, not to the wishes of your friends.
- Finally, it’s okay to be a little crazy. We all had fun and Meggie is still beaming from the experience.
cputnamblog 