Strumming Into Peace by Matthew H.
My fingers tensed around the object in my pocket, ready to use it at a moment's notice. This was such a moment because my emotional state was in a dissonant disarray of self-doubt and fear. This 2-D plastic object was my ukulele pick, a dynamic, expressive tool that held the key to regulating my chaotic, clashing emotions.
This moment came after an erratic, thunderous wrestling tournament where I was defeated after a relentless, discordant dance of physicality and irregular breaths. My emotions were in turmoil due to exhaustion, sorrow, and shame. My knees had locked during the match like an unwanted staccato, and I felt out of control. Only one thing to do: pick up my pick and ukulele.
As I plucked the first chord, the distant murmurings of the wrestling arena transformed into a sonorous haven. The melodic arpeggios were a soothing elixir for my disoriented spirit. Each finger-style stroke produced a different timbre, texture, and color, becoming a mirror to the nuances of my inner storm.
My fingers danced on the frets of the ukulele, giving me the agency I craved in a world that often seemed beyond my control. Different pressures, vibratos, bends, and barre chords became a means of supporting the tonal tapestry of my emotions. The steady rhythms regulated my frantic heart until it also became a consistent, reliable tempo. I joyfully realized that I possessed the power to modulate the melody of my own personal narrative.
There are many moments such as this where I reach for the trusty pick. School, sports, tests, peers, social media, homework, time, parents, holidays, coaches, and life can all create a cacophony of joy and sorrow, love and resentment, order and disarray, reason and confusion, all within the echo chamber of my heart. The ukulele shows me the art of resilience in its ebbs and flows, crescendos, and decrescendos. By the end of a song, there is always a rhythmic stability. Peace.
I looked up after my last note and discovered my family in the corner, listening, orchestrating a shared moment of connection and encouragement. As the last note still hung in the air, I witnessed not only my own sentiments finding harmony but also the meaningful impact it had on those around me. The ukulele became a source of shared dialogue for our disparate hearts. All from a pick.