Desert Messenger

12 www.DesertMessenger.com May 6, 2020 T��� ����� ������� �� D����� M�������� www.QuartzsiteVideos.com Watch Quartzsite Videos @ To thine own self... By Jackie Deal Oh, Oh! Ubie's in trouble. She now has competition, or is it compan- ionship? Ubie (my ukulele/banjo) has been joined by a Yamaha key- board (not the motorcycles, Stupid, tho' made by the same company) it's like a piano or an organ. Fewer keys, but many "voices." And you don't need a crash helmet, though a "brain bucket" might help. A neighbor dug out an unused keyboard from his storage shed and offered it to me. I jumped at the chance. Long ago I had one and got rid of it; I didn't like the decreased number of keys (less than a piano); now I'm thrilled to have it, especial- ly while "sequestered." Gives me something else to do other than talking to soap bubbles? Yes, this morning I actually found myself talking to the soap bubbles while doing the dishes. When I squirted soap into the water a bunch or tiny little bubbles fl oated upward. They were so cute: tiny, round and translucent. I encouraged one that seemed more robust than the oth- ers as it fl oated upward. It missed the cabinet and then fl oated down, only to crash onto the drainbaord. Ah, well life is fraught with dangers! I think I told you about this before, 'salright, as we get older we tend to repeat ourselves, right? Forgive me! To be perfectly honest: it's getting harder and harder to fi nd something funny to say about failure. Yes, I've certainly not succeeded with Ubie. And believe me it's not Ubie's fault; Saga of an inept ukulele student #9 she's willing. I love music, I enjoy listening to it, I admire talented mu- sicians but I just don't seem to have IT. Now what is IT? Some people have "perfect pitch" and some can identify the key a musician is per- forming in without being told. And they know automatically when to change chords. That's probably not necessary in order to play the uku- lele. BUT!! About my only contribution to music is that I can keep time by tap- ping my feet, slapping my knees, clapping.( I once had one of those Fit Bit watches: during a two hour jam I clocked 2000 steps!) I can only conclude musicians need an audience and I can qualify for that. I'm not an educated music critic, I just know what I enjoy. And I love interviewing the musicians and try- ing to introduce them to all of you readers in the Desert Messenger. I think that's my role. No, I haven't given up. I'm no lon- ger striving for perfection; I just fi nd in some simple way, I enjoy strum- ming Ubie. It's relaxing and satisfy- ing. And for now, that's enough. by Jackie Deal "To thine own self be true...thou canst not then be false to any man," (Shakespeare) I presume (no ass- ume for me) that in order to be true, one must know thineself. Of course, those of us who are at retire- ment age (aren't most of us?) must, by now, know ourselves...inside and out. Do you KNOW why you respond in defi nite ways to certain stimuli? Are you aware of how long, or short, your fuse is and what sets it off? I just got a spam call, right this minute, and believe me, it set me off! What makes you content with your life? What do you NEED daily to feel satisfi ed with life? I thought I knew myself: indepen- dent, self-suffi cient. Hmm, why is it I can't fi x my drippy, leaky kitchen faucet? Is it because I'm too igno- rant or unskilled? Or is it because I don't have the right tools? Aw, that must be it! More to the point: Quarantine is teaching me some things. Knowing that I CAN'T go and do everything I please; I'm now feeling deprived, in- suffi cient in myself for maintaining my own happiness. I'm knocking my head against a brick wall with a sign that reads: "Huh, you aren't as self-suffi cient as you thought you were." As the clock ticks through each 61-minute hour, I wonder what can I do NOW? Do you relate to any of this? Or am I just a lily-livered baby? This period of self-confi nement is per- haps making us more aware, more "true" to ourselves. I'm discovering: I need people, I need schedules, I need reasons for fulfi llment. And, yes, left to myself with no deadline pressures, I just want to slough off. Isn't that enough to damage your self-respect? Someday we will get back to nor- mal. But maybe a new normal, a different normal from what we have known. Who knows? The Indus- trial Revolution brought a new nor- mal. Henry Ford's Model T brought a new normal. People rebounded, adjusted and life went on. I hope our new normal won't in- clude masks, social distancing and no hugging. I hope we can go back to the crowded jams and happy so- cial events we all knew. Who knows what we may have to sacrifi ce. Per- haps the question will be, "Is saving a few lives worth it?" Is saving our own life worth it? Or the lives of our friends or relatives? Statistics don't count; people do. The popular say- ing, "The life you save may be your own" is more true today than ever. DEADLINE : WED. MAY 13 TH for the May 20 TH edition Desert Messenger News Email: editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 www.DesertMessenger.com 800-656-HOPE

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