New Beginnings….

How many times do we say in life, “One day I will (insert random goal here)?”

For some reason this week the Fates are asking me to jump into “one day,” and don’t seem to be taking “no” for an answer.  Okay, I’ll play.  Let’s see how this goes.

I’ve always said that “One day, I will learn to play the Great Highland Bagpipe.”  I’ve also said, “One day, I’ll start my own blog.  I will do it for me and not for anyone else.”  Both have been out there for some time, always comfortably nestled in that great space of time we call “one day.”  

Someone near my office practices their bagpipe on regular occasion during lunch hour near the train tracks.  I have actually gone on walks to find them, but as soon as I start getting close, they finish their practice session and would wander off leaving me to wonder, “WHO IS THAT MYSTERY PIPER?”  This person has often brought a smile to my face as I wander to hunt for lunch and a twinge of jealousy that they have accomplished a dream of mine: to have the courage to play the pipes.  At the office we have dubbed this person our "Railroad Piper," and this person has been a mystery to many who thought they were hearing things.

Last weekend I had the great fortune of attending the Highland Games in Livonia, Michigan.  At high noon on Saturday, the pipers took the field.  This enormous flock of people, marching in unison, playing together and each group wearing their own unique tartan caused every hair on my body to stand at attention.  I looked at my companion and said, “My teacher is in that field.  I am going to learn how to play.”  This stopped being “someday”.  It became “today”.  Throughout the remainder of the day I was distracted by the sounds of the pipes calling to me.

A few hours after the noon muster, my companion and his son were occupied in the task of making a shield project, so I chose to step away and find my teacher.  Around the corner were the tents of many different piping groups, probably about 150 pipers en mass.  Groups from all around Ohio, Michigan, even Canada.  I saw one tent that said, “Michigan Scottish Pipe and Drum.”  There was no telling where they were from, just Michigan.  They could be minutes away from me or hours.  I made a bee-line to that tent, and as I did so all the musicians formed a circle and began to play.  Less one.  One man stood alone as everyone else occupied themselves with warming up and one last practice before competition.
  

I stopped in front of this man and said, “Are you a Piper?”

“Yes,” he replied.

“How do you learn to play this?” I inquired.

Looking briefly stunned, he explained the process of learning the Great Highland Bagpipe.  I explained briefly my history and the fact that I have been taunted for years by the Railroad Piper.  He asked where I worked and told him.

Then he asked me if I worked near specific cross streets.  “Yes,” I said.

“Well,” he said.  “Your Railroad piper is me.”  

 So in a group of hundreds, I found the one person who I have sought for some time.

Really???

I immediately contacted the trainer Railroad piper indicated and throughout the week Railroad piper and I have been emailing back and forth, as have the trainer and I.

I will go into more detail about this later, but today my practice Chanter arrived and I had my first private lesson with Railroad Pipers Pipe Major.

Tonight I received an email from Railroad piper indicating that he is excited about hearing my journey into piping and his willingness to help me along that path.  And then he said something that made my head spin.

“You have a great writing style and when you start a ‘learning piping’ blog, let me know.”

Totally out of the blue.  The Fates are telling me, very clearly, today is the day.  I’ve been involved in blogs before but never for me, it was for other things. I’ve wanted to Pipe, I’m working on making that happen.  Now I'm going to blog about it.

So there you have it, my digital friends.  This is why I’m here and this is why I’m doing this.  I’m going to blog about becoming a Piper.  I am going to take two of those “one of these days” goals and turn them into one.

If you are willing to join me, I’ll take you with me on this journey.