Music Did It Again

The music did it again. Today Sharon was playing the piano on the fifth floor at The Lieberman Center. Some thirty residents were gathered around the room in their various and sundry wheel chairs, some were sitting on the sofa, some in chairs, walkers parked along the wall.

Each in his own way, the residents connected with the music. Some clapped their hands, some attempted to clap their hands, some smiled, some sang along with a word or two here and there. Some conducted and some rocked their heads in or out of time with the music.

Some sat and stared, some with eyes open, some with eyes closed whether awake or asleep. But you knew that all drifted on the notes as the piano string vibrations entered their beings.

I sat there attending to each face, one at a time, wondering. Who had these people been? What had their lives been like? How did they come to end up at Lieberman? What was going on inside their minds? Were they aware of their situation? Were they aware of their condition?

And my usually smiling, open face showed sadness, tears, regret, loneliness. I chose not to shirk my emotions but rather to ride them out. No major breakdown, no sobbing, no needing to leave the room, no needing to be consoled by others. And ride them out I did. Slowly they receded as I allowed the piano string vibrations to enter my soul and my being.

And it was good. And people were enjoying themselves. People were taking and support staff was giving. And it was good.