180 Degrees

Chloe came home from school an absolute wreck the other day.  Nobody played with her.  Nobody liked her.  She's not good at anything.  Her sisters never jump rope with her.  Nobody loves her.  Not anyone!

And then she cried (wailed)(very loudly) on the couch for about an hour.

If she wasn't just 7 years old, I'd say she had PMS.

When she gets like this, there's just not a lot a person can do for her.  I get her on my lap and try to talk to her, but the sobbing just continues while she simultaneously drenches my lovely throw pillows in snot and tears.

It's fun being the mother to girls.

Finally, we had to go to her piano lesson.  She cried all the way there, insisting that I didn't love her and going through an entire package of Kleenex.  She calmed down just enough for us to go inside, where I mouthed to her teacher that she'd had a bad day (as if she couldn't tell already what with the swollen eyes and the bright red nose) and Chloe reluctantly sat down at the piano.

She unhappily played through her scales, which is probably normal, since scales are less than exciting.

But when she started playing her first piece--one that she particularly likes--I saw little smiles creep in during her favorite parts.  But they quickly disappeared and she would force a frown back on her face.  During her second piece, she openly smiled through it.  And as she played Minuet in G and Fur Elise, she beamed.

I love how the music rose up within her soul and touched her heart and turned around her entire day.  It does the same thing for me--when I'm in a particularly bad mood, I will often sit down at the piano and sing or play something I love.  It works wonders.

I called Chloe's attention to her not-so-mysterious change of heart, and told her it was because the music brought her joy.  Nobody can be sad for long when they are playing joyful songs.

I hope she remembers.  She doesn't have days like this often, but when she does we all brace ourselves for the hours of emotion.  Maybe next time she'll remember to sit at the piano and play it out.

And, just for fun, here's a video of her playing Fur Elise.  She's been working on it for a recital coming up in June.  I recorded it with photobooth, and I have no idea how to flip the picture, so it's kind of weird watching it with her hands going the wrong way.  I guess if it bothers you too much, you can always watch the video in a mirror.

Enjoy!

Chloe playing Fur Elise from Lara Neves on Vimeo.