Ripples

My mother and my father were both professional musicians.  In fact, they met as teenagers in an all-star high school orchestra. My mother played the trumpet and flute, my father the French horn. As you might expect, as a child I was encouraged (I might say required) to learn to play both piano and French horn.

At thirteen, my parents signed me up to study composing with Joseph Oroop, a passionate man with an unusual name.

The best part of the lesson was the streetcar ride to and from Mr. Oroop’s home.

One day Mr. Oroop questioned my participation.

“Mr. Fox,” he said, a bit formally.  “I would like to know something.  You have taken harmony lessons from me for three months.  My other students are either very enthusiastic and bring me their own compositions, or they drop out.  You are a mystery.  Each week I give you an assignment, you go home, you work on the assignment, and you bring it back.  But so far you haven’t gotten excited and started to compose any additional work, and you haven’t dropped out.  What’s going on with you?”

I was surprised, but thought he asked a very good question.  I considered it for a week, and at my next lesson told Mr. Oroop that I was dropping out.

While I would have liked to become a brilliant composer (or a brilliant anything for that matter), I lacked both enthusiasm and any great ability for composing music.  But I did learn an important lesson from Mr. Oroop. It’s not enough to simply go through the motions.  It’s important for each of us to figure out what we like to do and what we have an aptitude for.  Hopefully, we can match the two.

Of course, I often have to learn the same lesson more than once before it sticks.

Toward the end of my first year of law school Professor Richard Wicks, who taught contract law, called me into his office.

He was not as formal as Mr. Oroop, but delivered a similar message.  “Alan, you’ve been in my class for almost two semesters.  You are always prepared, you answer my questions when I call on you, but you certainly aren’t working up to your ability.  You’re not enthusiastic.  I encourage you to get more involved and start enjoying the study of law.”

I didn’t drop out of law school, but I also did not become more enthusiastic.  Perhaps I should have, at that time, worked more diligently to follow my passion to become a writer.  I did that twenty-five years later.

The title of this blog is ripples.  Like a stone dropping into a pond, each of us causes ripples, for better or for worse, in the lives of those we know.  And often we never find out the effect that we have had.

There are many ripples in the lake of my life, and I give thanks to Mr. Oroop and Professor Wicks for taking the time to notice me, and caring enough to help me find my calling.  I hope to pay it forward by helping others to do the same.

Alan