“Of course there is no formula for success except perhaps an unconditional acceptance of life and what it brings.”

“To be alive, to be able to see, to walk, to have houses, music, paintings – it’s all a miracle. I have adopted the technique of living life miracle to miracle.”

– Arthur Rubinstein

My brother plays classical piano.  I have great admiration for anyone who could study and practice long enough to make music on a piano.  Although I play a mean “Chopsticks” and both parts of “Heart & Soul,” I simply didn’t have the ability to delay gratification through enough scales and exercises to hone any skill on this instrument.  I certainly know far too little about classical pieces or technique to evaluate anyone’s playing; but my brother has a more educated ear.  I remember hearing him talk about a concert where Rubinstein — age 90 at the time — played with a passion that brought delight to my brother’s critical ear.  He marveled that the man had reached such an advanced age and still could do justice to the music, his ability still sharp and his performance moving.

I loved finding the above quotations from Rubinstein, and I love his formula for success.  ”An unconditional acceptance of life and what it brings.”  What a sense of adventure!  Today is Day 4 of my week alone.  One thing that the gift of solitude has brought me is an awareness of how dependent we become on routines — how much we are ruled by schedules and the clock.  Not being tied to the framework of time and routine has shown me that there is a lot more going on in my small town than I notice when I am encapsulated in my own comfortable and repetitive ways.  Lather, Rinse, Repeat.  The shampoo bottle describes the way we tend to live our days.  I think of the comfort my parents — now in their late 80’s — find in the reliable routines that structure their days.  It is likely that my own life will find a comfortable rut as I age; but today I want to celebrate the vitality, the mobility, and the flexibility to accept whatever life brings.

Acceptance is not the only key, though.  Rubinstein goes on to say that he lived life “miracle to miracle.”  His gratitude for all that made up his life just dances in his words!  For being able to see; for being able to walk; to have ownership of beautiful things that bring him joy — gratitude that recognizes each amazing thing life brings as a miracle that will be followed by another and another and another.

I know that the life I have chosen and love will draw me back into my routine again at the end of the week.  For now, I will enjoy the surprises that come my way when there are no deadlines and no schedules.  I will hope that my return will open my eyes to the succession of miracles that make up each day of my life.  I will hope to see each one, however familiar, as a reason for gratitude.  I will leave “lather, rinse, repeat” in the shower where it belongs, and be thankful for the abundant blessings that can escape our notice, but deserve our attention.