hi BTR
My 'I don't know' is hidden within me, I believe, and I might never know what it is.
Mind you this is my belief, because I recall quite clearly from when I was very young that I never knew what to do. I wandered from "place to place' (meaning a game here, trying to knit there, another game here, trying to play with siblings, being bullied, cut off my hair, tinkered with the piano) and I was never told that I was good at anything. None of this crap defined me to myself, or put me in a place/postion that my parents and siblings would remember me by.
When raising my daughter, I took an interest in her interests and also tried to, and did, introduce new interests for her and she always seemed confidant with what she was doing, at that particular time
In the long run, since I have written over 500 songs and have set about ½ to music, my own composing, it was the piano tinkering that I think my parents ought to have followed up on, when I was young. As I grew older and heard songs on the radio, I memorized the lyrics and melody and could play them by ear (Now this is good old country and Western music 1956-1985) as far as reading notes is concerned I picked that up years before. Yet this was not commented on at home and never left my home.
To make this shorter, I love Easy Listening, as well, and Semi-classical. I know how often I've wished I could have had lessons and been a concert pianist (but I would sneak a Johnny Cash in there too).
That is what I know.....after I thought a lot about what you wrote because it struck me.
I think it is a matter of the parents paying attention to their children, noting their progress in different areas and perhaps a favourite, like music, art, designing, barn-building whatever and steer them in that direcion (not pushy) with compliments too, and if they back off, then there is another road to start them on.
So I ended up crunching numbers for 55 years with my music all hidden away, but it really could have been the real me.
Does that help you in a way?
I also believe if you "don't find yourself" at a very young age, it can happen later, in school, or later after that.
My daughter always wanted to be an astronaut but getting married stopped her Education. After she left him 10 years and 3 children later, her fascination with the miracle of birth led her to become a midwife! That's about 15 years now and in there somewhere became a certified hypnotherapist. From all her experiences she began to take an interest in writing, so the last I heard she was taking a writing course.
Now I don't think she is picky at all because every experience can lead to a different one, but she has confidence. I like the way that all her successes led to another one.....and all things I could not teach her.
I had no confidence to even think, or try, or even risk a try to.......
I don't know. That's why!
Weep, weep
Izzy
