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One of my favorite musical instruments is the bagpipe. Many years ago on a bright beautiful sunny day, my family and I heard a gorgeous version of Amazing Grace played by a bagpiper on shore, as our family was departing Halifax, Nova Scotia by ship. We continued to hear Amazing Grace as it carried over 3 miles away from shore.
In newspapers around the world it was announced on August 22, 2016 that a 61-year-old bagpiper had died from “hypersensitivity pneumonitis- bagpipe lung”. It was caused by bacteria from “the moist environment” in his bagpipes which developed into mold and fungi. For the prior seven years he suffered “shortness of breath, a dry cough”, and could “walk only about 65 feet”.
Disinfecting every part of his bagpipe everyday would have prevented his death. It’s all about discipline!
This is a wake up call for all musicians, bagpipers, woodwind players, and brass players to clean their instrument thoroughly daily. ” Cleanliness is next to godliness.”
It’s all involved with discipline. The discipline of preparation. Two friends of mine are Firemen. They have their fire equipment at the ready, so within minutes they are ready for a fire. They practice for fires in gear with their air pack to be ready within 90 seconds. Once you develop discipline it becomes part of you, a positive good habit.
True disciple gives you the freedom to do your best and be your best self, allowing yourself to achieve success. For example: cleaning up after your self and keeping your work place organized.
My husband and I went to a local restaurant to grab a quick lunch. The waitress, who we had never seen before, brought our food out and took an extra 5 minutes to bring out the ketchup after our burgers had been served. By the time she finally brought the ketchup the burger was cold. Shortly after, we were in a rush to get back to work. The restaurant was almost empty, and we had to look for the waitress to get the bill. This waitress won’t last long! She does not have the discipline for the job!
In our lives, we need to be disciplined in both our mind and in our body to keep free of mental clutter and /or physical clutter.
Just like you brush your teeth twice a day to cut down on bacteria that feed over your body and we bathe everyday. This is all about our daily discipline.
As a child of 8, I remember my violin teacher, Mr. William Whitson teaching me to wash my hands with soap and water before playing my violin. After practicing Mr. Whitson taught me to wipe my violin with a clean cotton cloth to remove the rosin from all surfaces of the violin, including the strings, fingerboard, and bridge. Rosin is pinesap from a tree that in its clean state is rubbed onto the hair of the violin bow to grip the strings making them speak. Mr. Whitson also had me wipe the rosin off the wood part of my bow. He wanted to protect the instrument from harm from the sticky rosin. He taught each of his students the discipline of taking care of their instruments. It’s all about discipline.
Many years ago when I was a student in New York City, I loaned out my violin to a friend when her instrument was being repaired. When she brought my violin back after a week, it was covered with sticky rosin all over it! It took me several hours to clean up my violin. My ex- friend had not been taught the discipline of taking care of her violin. She should have brought my violin back to me cleaner then when I had given it to her!
For over 30 years, I have taught my string students, the discipline of cleaning their instruments.
Part of discipline is teaching our kids to wash their hands and dry them after using the bathroom. Harvard Medical School says, “In studies, washing hands with soap and water for 30 seconds bacterial counts drop by close to 99.9%.” They also say, “It takes about 20 seconds to dry your hands well if you’re using paper or cloth towels. It’s all about training and discipline!
What new discipline will you start today?
Take the one-day challenge!
Below are five suggestions: Try one of them!
1) You have a large pile of papers on your desk. Put the papers in order, file the informational documents in the right folders, and pay the bills according to the due dates on them.
2) Right after cooking dinner, put the pots and pans in the sink to soak with soap and warm water. This way you can clean up quickly and easily after you eat.
3) Eat one scoop of ice cream instead of two.
4) Stop smoking cigarettes for one day.
5) As you run out of certain foods in your refrigerator, write down each food needed on a pad of paper. Then take your list to the grocery store.
Remember, discipline is following through on some goal you have and not finding excuses to not finish the task. Don’t procrastinate. To be disciplined you have to take the first step. Don’t just talk about it. Do it. Take your first step. Then take your second step and follow through till you complete what you started.
It’s all about discipline!
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Source by Madeline Frank
