Friday, April 25, 2014

Beginner Jazz Piano Books: The Destiny of Things, Story 189

Beginner Jazz Piano Books:  The Destiny of Things, Story 189

Someone was so excited about jazz piano lessons they left me this note!

photo via The Destiny of Things, more beginner piano music available here

Note from Buyer

Just started piano lessons again at 62 y.o. Love jazz. My teacher is solid into classical. I need material for her to help me. Many thanks. I won't be turning these pages into origami lol!!

photo via The Destiny of Things, more beginner piano music available here

How fun does that sound?  Someone else is taking up piano again.  It's never too late, right?  It's only too late, if you never start!  And I'm thankful these pages won't be turning into origami anytime soon, which is my plan for any sheet music that remains with me.

I too, was hoping to take up piano again when I retired.  Actually before I retired, I even splurged on a full sized piano style Casio keyboard for myself for one of my birthdays when I was in my 30s or was it 40s?

I also had a portable keyboard someone donated for my classroom and I had a difficult time getting used to the smaller keyboard, but it wasn't long before music was replaced in the curriculum for more time with the 3 R's and songs like our National Anthem and other traditionally learned songs in third grade were lost in time!

Before I knew it, I basically forgot everything, even how to read music!  It was like 8 years of piano lessons vanishing into thin air!  A year after I retired I became bedridden sick for over a year and ever since I feel like I've been catching up on lost time and health!  Dehoarding is one of my last ditch efforts for ultimate health!

However during my bedridden time, I continued to hoard and one of the things I collected were the beginner piano books from my childhood as inspiration for when I could move around again.  I was going to be able to exercise my body again and my brain by teaching myself to play again!

I did, I eventually relearn my old favorites and more, like Fur Elise, Moonlight Sonata and Oh When the Saints Go Marching In, etc. however I never regained my finger strength or dexterity of my youth, so many of the songs I mastered and loved were years beyond me.

I mean, how many boogie woogies and rag time songs did I have to learn to play before I could play, Carol King, Simon and Garfunkel or Bye bye Ms American Pie?  Although I was exceptionally happy once I mastered, Mozart's "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star in Variations" with my own added ones.  Listen to his 12 variations, while you continue to read, here on youtube.

photo via The Destiny of Things, more beginner piano music available here

Over a ten year period, I bought a new house every 2-3 years and my piano came along with me... along with the rest of my hoard!  Movers had never seen so much stuff for one person!  Yep, some even said it out loud!  Anyways, by my fourth or fifth move I decided to purge and it was either the sewing machine or the piano.


photo via OldSewinGear

I figured I could easily buy another piano again, but I think it would be much more difficult to replace my Singer Slanto-matic 503 with all the original bells and whistles with all the manuals and in fabo working order, let alone find a sewing machine with all metal parts again.

I was lucky, even on Craig's List the Casio keyboard sold for a pretty penny, however I can not say the same for my flokati rug! but that's another story!

 photo via The Destiny of Things, more beginner piano music available here

Saying Goodbye:  The musician that bought my keyboard smiled politely and declined when I asked if he needed my piano books, but I had to ask, one never knows!  And I thought it highly unlikely that others would want my beginner piano books, but they have!  5 sets have sold so far, so I suppose I should get to relisting more of them!

With each Etsy listing description I usually note my back story under "Hoarder History" or "Side Kick Story" and end it with my hopes of it's "Untold Destiny,"  so this is the one for the Jazz books:

Untold Destiny: I hope someone who's beginning piano lessons knows why jazz boogie woogies will strengthen their piano playing and enjoy all four books! or if use them as paper ephemera for cards, origami or various art projects as I will if they don't find their way to a more purposeful home!

If you 'd like you can read the full description with it's "Hoarder History," it's here.  I am thankful most of my "Untold Destiny" wishes came true!  Actually when I think about it, many of my "Untold Destiny" wishes have come to light.

What I Learned:

1.  The ending quote from a couple of days ago, goes well with this posting.  "It is the job never started that takes the longest to finish." ---TRR Tolkien 

The Tolkien quote helps me to keeping going with my Hoarder Rehab journey.  I must keep going forward, even if I do backslide every once in awhile, like I've been doing lately.  And lately...

2.  Not only have I returned to my comfort zone of retail therapy as stress release, but another kind Etsyian emailed me about one of my blog posts and shared about their diner collections and was wondering if I'd reconsider listing my Russel Wright Disneyland Carnation Cafe plates.  

I'm still in conflict with it for some unknown reasons and I even put them back into the kitchen to use and they end up being on the bottom of pile unused, so I told the person that if I can't resolve my turmoil over them by next week, I'll just list them and see what happens.

And then today, I have full on recovering hoarder seller's remorse!  Not one, but two of my favorite bracelets from my college days sold and I have high anxiety over letting both go!  I can't even wear them anymore due to allergies to metals and they'll provide endless hoards of washi tape and other art supplies, but none of that rational seems to be helping me at this moment.

I've loved Taxco jewelry since college.  I even made one of my dreams come true by spending a day in the little town on a shopping spree!  Photo via The Destiny of Things, see more views of it here

And soon after,  to top it off my WW2 historical Sweetheart bracelet was ordered!  Oh my, that's like eating so much pie it's giving me a sugar rush and stomach ache at the same time!  That's just too much dehoarding for one day!  Be thankful, be thankful! 

I'm trying, I'm trying!  Stay calm and breath!  Just breath!  Move on....  just a little baby step....

 photo via VintageToGoEasy, read about it's noteable history connected to the Enola Gay, here


3.  At least I'm beginning to recognize the emerging pattern of what triggers my hoarding backslides!  What to do about it is still a mystery, but at least I know now and can perhaps some how be better prepared for the next one?

And when seller's remorse kicks in, I remind myself to breath and make a gratitude list.  I am thankful I have the entire weekend to let go.  I am thankful one went to a return buyer who also bought the matching cross. so even without a story I know someone out there must love it enough to return for more!

Maybe I'll get a story from my WW2 bracelet?  Maybe it's going in a museum?  Moving on....

Anyone else "out there" get seller's remorse?  As a recovering hoarder, I get seller's remorse and buyer's remorse!  And I used to get seller's remorse more than not and it is quite painful.  At least I can say that the practice of letting go of over 650 items has dulled and lessened over time, but some things and I never know which ones can still create mayhem with panic and anxiety!

Thank you Etsy buyer from The Destiny of Things for feeling the excitement of learning jazz piano enough to share it with me!  I am so thankful that you and others have found the beginner books I love too!  Thank you for bringing another piece to my puzzle by sending your story!

Thank you Etsy and over 650 Etsy buyers for finding new lives and homes for all my loved loved items, even if it takes me more rational time than I think I should need to let go of them, in the end it's inevitable and I eventually get over it.  Will I remember the bracelet in six months and still feel this way about it?  I know I will not.

Most of all thank you for all the connections made and stories received from people who in more ways than one are helping me declutter my life, home, mind, spirit and truck to improve my health.

Thank you US, Australia, Canada, China, UK, Hungary, Malaysia, Germany, France, Poland and many others who continually support me by stopping by my  HoarderRehab and The Destiny of Things!  

Click on the shop names to visit my hoard listed daily: HoarderRehabThe Destiny of Things, VintageToGoEasy and now JunkDrawerLove!  There are about 116 items listed on JunkDrawerLove and am adding new listings to each shop daily and will continue to relist 1-2 items at the other shops!  Thanks for looking!  Maybe you'll find something to take home and share your story too!
Related Stories:  Other piano and beginner book stories....

1.  Two sisters who live hundreds a mile a part are practicing the piano to play duets for their parents again, one of them has my Duet book!  Read about it here

2.  A Mother-Daughter Baton Twirling Team using my Baton Twirling book, here.  I'm still not sure why I bought that book, but returning to it has brought me a clue!

3.    My HoarderRehab Melt Down:  I'm battling the feeling, but at least this one will be much smaller.

4.  Retail Therapy as a Stress Relief, part 1, part 2, part 3:  Did my last thrift overload spur another shopping spree?

5.   My Thirfting Overload:  Anyone have any ideas on  how to contain hoarder feelings of going on a buying spree?


All Time Most Read Story of Month and All TimeMy Louis Vuitton Collection the end of mine for the beginning of someone else.  The last piece of my LV collection, my 80s LV gold cornered wallet is available here at The Destiny of Things!  

 "I know what I have to do now.  I have to keep breathing and tomorrow the sun will rise and who knows what the tide will bring in."---Chuck Noland, Cast Away

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