What Now: Unfamiliar Possibilities

Erik Charlson is Oklahoma Today's spring intern. Each week, in What Now, he'll take us on his journey learning about Oklahoma and navigating an uncertain future.

Adding a skill to your repertoire is difficult and time consuming, but the benefits can be rewarding. Learning something new takes dedication and you must be committed to what you hope to achieve, even if it means less time spent on things you already love.

Recently, I started to take piano lessons and that instrument is completely foreign to me. I don’t know what I am doing. Everything is new.

Honestly, it's refreshing. I get tired of the same old stuff that life throws at me. Instead, I'm throwing myself into these lessons once a week, even though I'm not at all talented. But that means I have limitless room to grow. It is something I have wanted to start for a long time and I am glad that I finally made the leap.

Intern Erik Charlson practices on his keyboard.

While I am enjoying my new journey, there have been many hiccups already. I know there will be times when I don’t want to go to a lesson, or when something seems too confusing to even try and wrap my head around. It is frustrating trying to do something that is simply beyond my reach at the moment. Sometimes I feel like I am just looking at eighty-eight keys with no clue what to do with my hands, but every time I leave a lesson, I am better than I was when I arrived. This is what makes the process worth it.

While my time has been eaten up with a new hobby, I find my schedule more packed than it seemed before. My free time is mine still, but it belongs to my hobby, as well. If I want to achieve better things with this instrument, then I should give it the time it deserves.

While I haven't accomplished much yet, I feel more accomplished because I am making myself get better at something at which I am, frankly, quite terrible. This is okay with me. I don’t expect myself to be good at something I don’t know how to do, and that is the point.

Try something new. Try to learn an instrument, learn a new language, or pick up a new sport. There is no harm in trying new things, even if they don't take.

I think people get so caught up in the daily routine of their lives that they think that’s all there is to it. There are many things out there waiting to be picked up and learned, all it takes is a spark of inspiration. I am excited to see what I take on next, but first I am going to spend more time on the keys.

Written By

Erik Charlson