Had to share a really cool moment that happened yesterday at The Lodge retirement home i play at every other week. One of the regular residents i have gotten to know is Pep. He introduced himself a few months ago and is very encouraging about my playing. He was a drummer in the 60s in a rock band in Chicago.
He really enjoys the Beat Buddy drum machine and he catches most of my play dates and always has nice things to say.
Iām careful to try and not video the residents or post videos where you can see residents so my camera angles are mostly of me and i use it for feedback on my playing, sound check, etc. So i donāt have any video to share but i want to share what happened when i played Mr Bojangles. I looked out in the audience during the song and Pep was playing air drums and mouthing the words. Never done that before and it was like he was back in the day. Hard to describe his face other than he was in the Zone. I was really happy that i helped make a connection to a great memory. I said goodbye as i was leaving and he said to have great day, nothing else. But I had already had a great dayā¦. Rod
Very cool share, Rod!!!
My mother-in-law used to volunteer occasionally at a Retirement Home where most of the residents were very old & not very active or responsiveā¦ she liked to tell a story about a really nice lady, Mrs. Sanchez, who generally just stared off into the distance & never said a word. One day Mrs. Sanchez noticed Momās lipstick, smiled, complimented the color & asked what brand it was. Well, Mom told her and asked if sheād like to use someā¦ she had to help this woman, but after the lipstick had been applied & Mom showed her what it looked like in a mirror, Mrs. Sanchez just kept giggling & smiling for the rest of the afternoon. The next week, when Mom went back, the nurses told her that Mrs. Sanchez had passed away the same night of the lipstick event & that when they found her the next morning, she had a smile on her faceā¦ Mom told that story for years & it never failed to bring tears to all of our eyesā¦
What you did brought happiness to a man who probably needs all the āhappyā he can getā¦ kudos to you for what you do!!!
I kid around a lot, but that was a really cool story. It doesnāt get much better than making a human connection through your music. That is living your best life my friend! Well done.
