Final state

I've not written much about my niece or nephew lately with no reason for it other than that I've not wanted to share much about their lives on the internet. We're in constant communication though and most of those leave me laughing, happy to have them in my life and very proud to be their uncle and of their achievements; both of them are cool little people who have worked hard at the things they do. *** *** Interestingly, both have taken to music as if born to it. I started playing the piano prior to turning five years old and played for many years working through all my grades until I attained a high level of competency. My niece, @smallsteps, is doing the same, I'm proud to say she's just started at a music school and from what I know about playing the piano (which is a lot) she's displaying some extraordinary skills. My nephew, @mrbonkers, is displaying the same talent albeit it with a different instrument. #### State Finals He began playing the violin at a young age - and it sounded like a dying possum with covid-19 and terrible constipation - and has progressed to the point where he plays well though; so well in fact that he made it to the **State String Finals** recently. I know nothing about the violin other than that it looks like a totally fucken weird guitar and can sound shit or amazing, but I know that he's worked hard at it and that I'm a very happy and proud uncle. As a younger man, I complimented my piano skills by learning to play the trumpet and bass guitar - I was in a jazz band for a time - but slowly those things began to take a back seat to others that rose in importance. The thing I carried forward though, the thing that has helped me to create a really excellent life is: > Ownership, effort, discipline, persistence and consistency, ability to fail and learn from it, ability to succeed and win with humility, finding hidden reserves of energy when I want to give up - the never-quit ethos, to see difficult things as a challenge to overcome not an insurmountable obstacle and...loads of things besides. Yeah, I know that's not just one thing and if I'm honest it wasn't just one thing or aspect of my life that taught me these things but certainly my musical journey was one such element. #### Final State I don't know what my "final state" will be as a human man, I change all the time which is how it's supposed to be. I don't know that of my niece or nephew either but I know what my journey to today, this moment, has been like and it's that which will carry forward as I lean into what I know will be my final years of life. My niece and nephew have a longer path ahead and who knows where their respective journey's will take them but for sure I can sit here now and feel confident that they are the sort of people who will walk their paths with a view to attaining results they can be proud of...and which I'll be proud of when I'm dead - a ghost haunting people just for fun.