teaching an old dog new tricks

and by old dog, i mean me, and by new tricks, i mean how to play the cello.

yes friends, today is the first day of my loooooong awaited cello lessons.  and by long awaited i mean almost a year.

i am not exactly sure when i realized that i wanted to learn the cello, but i have been looking into in for last decade or so.  i am drawn to the more soulful bass instruments and i love the passion that a cello can express.  of course my initial attraction to the cello was inspired more by rasputina than yo yo ma.  i figure i have to learn classical cello first before i can mix it up and start my own all girls punk cello band.

fortunately i married a classical pianist who rented me a cello, and after almost a year on the waiting list, got me a cello lesson.  today, at 5, it begins.  of course now i am totally nervous about it.  because of course i am going to stink it up at first.  but it is all part of this stretching thing i am trying to do this year.  reach out, take more risks, try new things, be less afraid to fail.  wish me luck!

thank you melanie for creating this amazing illustration so that i could “borrow” it for this post.  you can check out her blog here.  i loved this painting so much that ordered a mouse pad of it!  for inspiration on several fronts.