Kelani's story, practice is everything.

Friends I hope you are all having a nice Sunday and happy at home. Friends yesterday I could not bring you a new post because I had some time and schedule problems that prevented me from doing my daily post. The thing is that in my country to do anything is very slow and easy and you spend the day doing paperwork and things. I wish it was easier. But don't worry, I'm back to continue sharing with all of you.

Today I want to share with you a new story. I've seen that you liked this section that I started a while ago, so I decided to continue it. I hope to bring you at least one new story per week, and if time permits I may bring you a new one next week. So today's story I have decided to dedicate it to the letter 130 Kelani. I hope you like it.

Friends Kelani always remembers how the sound of the violin sounds. The truth is that this instrument is very important to her for several reasons. You see, she was marked in a certain way since she was a little girl by this instrument. The truth is that everything happened like any other day. She was in her neighborhood market, she was accompanying her mother in one of her eternal shopping rounds. The thing is that among the noise and the voices of people and vendors something different, a softer and even melancholic sound so to speak began to filter above all that bustle.

You know Kelani was only eight years old at the time, but despite that young age she felt trapped or perhaps better said connected with that sound that came from among so many people. She simply stopped at that moment, because she had to listen. After listening for a few moments to that sound, she wanted to know where it came from and began to search. She pulled her mother's arm in the direction of the music. At first her mother didn't want to go because she thought it would only be a waste of her time, as it had happened many times before. But in the end after so much insistence from Kelani she agreed.

When they got to where the sound was they saw an older man playing in the corner, an old violin. You know Kelani didn't know why, but the music seemed to make everything around her slow down somehow. At that moment after listening to several of the songs the gentleman was playing something changed inside her that day, although she couldn't explain it. That was the first time she heard the music of a violin. After that she tipped the gentleman for his beautiful playing and they both went home.

Eventually, Kelani got a violin. It was not a new instrument, nor was it perfect. In fact, it was a second-hand violin that her mother had scraped together for her through hard work and savings. On weekends she had a violin teacher her parents had hired to teach her at least the basics. Her first notes were little more than squeaks, none of that magic she had heard in the market was there. In those early moments she considered quitting, but despite the frustration, something in her kept her from quitting. You know, there were nights when she stayed up late practicing, because she wanted to understand why she could not capture the same sound that the man could.

The truth is that the hours passed, and sometimes she had the feeling that she was not making any progress at all, as if time was just vanishing between her hands. As she grew, so did her obsession. She had no close friends and family gatherings became more awkward events than anything else. Others always saw that she had her head elsewhere and simply started to leave her a bit on the sidelines. Although she didn't mind too much either. She only had a head for one thing, getting her violin playing right.

You know, on one occasion, she met a retired violinist who made an impact on her. She met him thanks to an internet forum where he was. Most of the members of that forum were musicians who did not feel fulfilled and so to speak gave each other advice and encouragement to overcome it. Then that musician told them all that he had been a recognized musician, but now he was burdened with a kind of sadness that was hard to ignore. He confessed to them that, in his younger years, he had had dreams similar to theirs, but that the reality had been less poetic than he had imagined.

Music, he told her, was a beautiful path, but it was fraught with sacrifices that often went unnoticed from the outside. Many times talent would go unrecognized, he mentioned. But you know, I don't regret anything, they were my happiest years, but if you want to get ahead, you have to be strong and not let yourself be defeated so easily. The truth is that both Kelani and other members of the forum were speechless.

After that lesson she learned in the support group she intensified the hours of practice. Albeit with some trouble. All her time seemed to revolve around the violin, and she became so possessive of her music that she even began to turn down invitations and avoid distractions. The truth is, she had many days when she felt like the violin was the only real thing in her life, and others when she just saw it as a kind of burden. It's a hard thing to describe. But in spite of everything he never seriously thought about giving it up.

The memory of his first notes always came to his mind, and the music of that man in the corner of the market. But everything was about to take a turn. In her neighborhood she was becoming more and more well known and her talent was already outstanding. The thing is that she was invited to a contest for emerging violinists, something like a talent show. She was shy, so at first she was embarrassed to go and look ridiculous, but her parents encouraged her to go and in the end she accepted.

Well, the day of the audition arrived, and the truth is that although she had been looking forward to this moment for years, she didn't feel the excitement she imagined. In fact, she felt strangely quiet, almost apathetic to say the least. When her name was called, she walked to the center of the room and looked at the judges without knowing what she was really doing there. She began to play, but she didn't feel like it was her playing. The music coming out of her violin was very good and had good precision, yet she was afraid of making a fool of herself. But it gave her the strength to finish the performance again, her memories, her sacrifices, the sleepless nights, all swirling around in her head. Finally she was able to finish, she felt because in the end the performance turned out better than she expected. Everyone applauded her and the judges gave her some of the best marks, she came in third place in the contest, a position she did not expect, because she thought her talent was not enough. Since she came in third place, she was able to move on to the second stage of the contest to be held next week.

You know that night, when he returned home, he didn't quite know how to feel. But generally she was happy, because she had dedicated years of her life to practice and that audition finally opened the way to something bigger. She didn't know it but this was the beginning of her career, several of the producers and universities present were willing to offer her scholarships to study music and perfect her talent. In addition, several local bands had already set their sights on her to collaborate with her. In short, a storm of benefits was brewing for her. Something she would have missed out on if she hadn't attended the event.

That same night she sat by her window, violin in hand, and began to play without thinking about anything in particular. She played just for the pleasure of hearing the sound, without worrying about impressing anyone, without thinking about technique or what others might think. At that moment, she felt a peace, a peace she had not experienced for a long time. She felt a sense of accomplishment that her hours of practice had paid off, that everyone had liked her music. She didn't know all that was in store for her or if she was going to win the talent show, but she was already happy. She just said thank you, and that moment was dedicated in her mind to the market lord. From now on she was another Kelani, the real realized Kelani.

Dear friends, this has been my story for today. I hope you liked it. If you wish, you can recommend me a specific card to dedicate a story to it next week and thus continue expanding together the lore of this beautiful game that is Rising Star. See you, have a nice afternoon.

Translated with DeepL.com