My new Clemmer Mountain Dulcimer is 'Out for Delivery' scheduled to arrive sometime today (that usually means afternoon/evening) - I think time has been broken... I checked the clock an hour and half ago, and it read 8:52AM - I just checked now, and it reads 8:53AM. lol. I am SO looking forward to seeing and getting to know my new (first ever) dulcimer!
@ken-longfield 
thank you for thinking of me, sir. In these instances, where we face these immense and overwhelming circumstances, I think that it is mostly not about us at all.. we are simply being swept along by something that we cannot even create a clear conception of.... in come cases, we benefit, and it is a thing to recognize, and to be grateful for.
So, it seems that we both have quite a bit to be grateful for. We are fortunate.
@ken-hulme I think that I will enjoy playing in styles that are both bagpipe-like, and also entirely unlike what I already know... that is the thing about embarking on a new thing; the entire world is suddenly wide open to you. I am really enjoying this already, and I haven't even received the instrument yet, lol. Thank you so much for your help. I have literally everything to learn.
@richard-streib I have been a professed monk in a monastic order for a very long time, sir. When I was in the hospital, I often received visits from clergy and consecrated lay brothers and sisters (monks/nuns), as well as from clerics from various denominations who would come and spend a few moments with me, offering their quiet presence. During the months that I spend in the hospital, I took comfort in knowing that I was prepared for however things turned out. I can affect very little insofar as how these things play out. The priests, monks, and nuns who visited me similarly were unable to change how things turned out, though I very much appreciated their calm, quiet presence when they visited me. I have no control over most of what takes place in my life. I was fortunate in a way; my decades of practice as a contemplative monastic prepared me to accept whatever life unfolded to me in any given breath-moment. (this came as a pleasant surprise).
I was an ordinand in my third year of seminary when I found myself going into surgery, with no certainty, and no clear idea of how life-changing the experience would be, ultimately; or whether I would have any lifespan remaining at all.
Whatever the circumstances, I am alive, I am mobile, I am not dependent upon infusions, machines, or appliances, and I am able to eat and drink and my body functions normally (mostly; everything that was in there is no longer in there, and there is something of a 'new normal' but I will accept that with gratitude, along with whatever physical pain remains).
As I write this response (01 May 2022), I am preparing for the formal conclusion of the seminary academic program which will take place tomorrow evening. If I am able to meet all of the academic and other requirements, I anticipate ordination to the Priesthood on 03 or 04 June of this year (I am currently a transitional deacon, reading for holy orders to be ordained as a religious-order priest ((priest-monk)) ).
Please keep me in your prayers. I am not entirely convinced that I am worthy of this... though I am also aware that it is not about me at all. But, I will accept prayers in support of my vocation with humility and gratitude, sir.
Perhaps, if things go well, I will be able to return the gift of a calm, quiet presence (at the very least) to some other poor soul who is facing an uncertain future while hospitalized, and perhaps be able to provide them with some small degree of comfort in a difficult moment. _/|\_
@ken-hulme Thanks Ken for the article. I like the idea of a 'stringed bagpipe' and I very much would love to be able to play the Scottish and Irish tunes that I have played on the pipes, on the dulcimer (although, there is a maxim in piping that the only tunes you still love are the ones you haven't learned to play yet, since, by the time you are able to play a tune with any competence, you have come to hate it, lol!) I don't know what Fingerdance syle is... but it sounds intriguing.
@john-c-knopf Thank you, John. Its a pleasure to meet you, sir. I am glad every moment of every day. Nothing is guaranteed, and anything can happen. I plan to do my very best to make the most that possibly can out of each moment going forward, and I am really happy and looking forward to learning how to play this instrument, hearing it, admiring it, and learning about it... and to share the journey with my fellow dulcimer players. This is a really nice community.
@irene Thank you so much for your response, Irene. For whatever reason, I am indeed still here. I wake up on my own, no tubes, no wires, no needles, no intense pain, no deep, endless, gnawing hunger and/or thirst. I am capable of getting up, moving around on my own, eating, drinking, using the bathroom, and feeling normal. It was not always the case. I have no idea why I was so fortunate to come out of a situation that didn't really offer very much hope of survival.. but, I am here, now, and in all of the infinite stream of time going forward and backward ... and in all of the illimitable distances in this universe that we live in... we are all here, now, together. We are all living in the same bellybutton together, we have to help one another get through this thing... the situation that I faced is a situation that many, many other people would have traded me for, no questions asked. I am so very, very grateful and fortunate. I cherish every moment. What I know is that it never occurred to me to think, "I never got to buy that... (something)", or, "I wish I could wear my... (something) just one more time." - what I most wanted were moments with people that love me, and that I love in turn. It is the small things that escape our notice that are so very very precious. I am attaching a photo. This is a photo of earth, taken by Voyager 1 about 30 years ago. Everyone and everything that has ever been, is, and will ever be important to either of us is in this photo...
@ken-longfield Thank your for your response. I think what speaks to me most, and what resonates with me most deeply, is a fingerpicked style of dulcimer music; particularly older music. That being said, however, I have no intention of entering this venture with strong pre-conceived notions at all. I am going to maintain an open mind, try every single thing that I am capable of trying, and just enjoy the journey. I have no stated goal, nothing that I must have a deadline for.. I just want to do it for the doing of it. (Contrast this to learning the bagpipes so that you can pass the Pipe Major's testing of your playing and march in the band, play at bagpipe gigs, and so on. The dulcimer is not for that... its for me... I just want to play.. I am simply happy to be here. I have faced my own mortality on several occasions, however, every time prior to this medical thing, I had made a conscious decision to take a risk; by taking up arms, jumping out of aircraft, being under water, or around explosives or munitions, or, later, as a police officer, walking into situations that were inherently dangerous. In this recent instance, I was simply living my ordinary, day to day, mundane existence... I had just lost my cat, who was my little buddy for the past 17 years at that point... and I was heartbroken over it, and my wife, myself and a close friend went out to dinner together as a small sendoff for a special little guy. We ate, we were talking, and I suddenly felt a dull pain, and a peculiar wet sliding sensation, and immediately felt pretty bad... but I didn't say anything, not wanting to put a damper on the evening. I had no idea that that moment was as crucial as it actually was. Basically, by the time I arrived at the ER, they did not expect me to live through the night. This was the first time I had ever been confronted with my own mortality simply when I had been living my life... not taking risks, not doing dangerous things.. just living.
It changes your perspective. I can now answer the question (i.e., for myself; "What is the meaning of life?" - for me, it is enjoying the passage of time. Time is passing whether we realize it or not, notice it or not, enjoy it.. or not. At some point, an exhale will take place, without a corresponding inhale. This is what it is to be human. We all face this. The difference for me now is that I actually, truly know it... am constantly conscious of it... and know that my time is finite. A day will come when, inevitably, I am going to die, and there is nothing whatsoever that I can do to change that.
So, one day I will die... this is true. What is also true is that from this moment, until that moment, I am going to live. Part of living includes making music on this new instrument, enjoying the craftsmanship of the instrument, the choosing of it... and the fellowship and community with my fellow musicians, and with all sentient beings.
I think that this is the best way to show gratitude for each moment; by living and enjoying each moment, and by being fully and totally present to it.
@greg-gunner Thank you sir, for taking the time to reply to my post. I am sorry that you were forced to confront such a frightening and painful illness. I have been a fighter all of my life, involved in combat sports since I was a very young child, and I served in two branches of the United States military and have successfully completed some of the toughest training courses our military offers; I *thought* I knew what pain was, and that I could tolerate nearly anything. Suffice it to say that I have a very much deeper understanding of what pain is now, particularly since I refused further narcotics on the fourth day after my initial surgery. The timing was not good, as my surgeon was out of state and for some reason could not be reached for a few days, which meant that I could not go back on the narcotic pain medications for nearly four days. Once the *actual* pain set in.. a minute was interminable from my perspective... so it was a real hoot for a few days. I imagine that you are no stranger to suffering either, and I am sorry for that.
You touched on the very issue that prevents me from simply switching over to bellows blown pipes. The belt is a problem. I know that many dulcimer players use a strap, but, I think (hope) that it is looser, and it seems to be placed in a different spot that will not be problematic for me.
I have belonged to this group for about two months, all the while never even once, the whole of my lifetime, having so much as touched a mountain dulcimer. I have seen them, and heard them (while visiting family in the mountains of western North Carolina) - and that pretty much sums up my entire life experience with the mountain dulcimer; other than what I am able to see and hear on YouTube.
Yesterday was a milestone for me, in what is shaping up to be my burgeoning (solo) career with the mountain dulcimer; I placed my order with Wood-N-Strings dulcimers for a walnut (sides,back and soundboard) dulcimer. For the next few months, I will be anticipating its arrival, which is enjoyable in its own right, since I will only every anticipate the arrival of this dulcimer this one time. (So I am bloody well going to savor it!)
I have literally no idea what I am doing, I have no idea where to start, and other than a few things that I was able to glean through reading posts here and on YouTube videos, I didn't really have much of a clue insofar as what my preferences in a dulcimer even were (are).
I suspect that somebody, somewhere is thinking (if they are reading this..) 'cardboard starter dulcimer' - but, nothing is foolproof, my friend; we fools are much too ingenious for that sort've thing!!
I live by the unwritten code; "Anything worth doing, is worth Over-doing!!"
Although I have no idea how to even begin, in truth, I have never let that stop me in the past, and I am much, much too set in my ways to start allowing it to inform my choices today. So, whenever my new instrument arrives, I will spend some time being utterly perplexed, and then I will decide upon a course of action, and begin....
Wish me luck!! I am really looking forward to this new journey. I am (or have been for quite some time) a piper. A couple of years ago, however, I was afflicted by a sudden life-threatening medical emergency (my intestines spontaneously tore open... creating a 4"-6" tear... and spilling all of that nasty stuff into my abdominal cavity.
This happened on a Monday evening... I actually felt it occur, but, having never experienced anything of that ilk in my life, I literally had no idea what had happened. By 10AM the next day, at work, I began having difficulty keeping my eyes in focus, and I was not able to walk down a rather wide hallway in the office without ricocheting off of both walls... and from about 11AM(ish) I have no conscious memory to this day, until I snapped back to full awareness... sitting on my sofa.. literally pouring sweat as though someone was dumping a bowl of warm water over my head.... I crawled up the stairs.. (literally crawled.. on the floor) and was violently ill for the next hour or so.. then I dragged my sorry self to my bed where I remained (this was Tuesday night) until Thursday morning, without ever getting up at all... until my wife called Bullsh*t, and relentlessly kept at me until I very, very, *very* painfully got up, put some clothes on, and walked the longest, most excrutiating 40 feet or so to get into the vehicle, and had an exceedingly unpleasant 5 or 6 minute drive to our primary physician's office, then staggered inside.
They put me on a table, the doctor palpated my lower left abdominal quadrant.. and I came off the table from the pain... and was pretty much back to full awareness from that point... the doc advised us to drive straight to the ER (she didn't feel comfortable waiting for an ambulance to come get me) they called ahead... and a few hours later I underwent emergency open abdominal surgery. I pressed the surgeon for my chances of survival, and after me being adamant (this is my specialty), he told me that he thought I had a 15% chance of surviving the surgery, but perhaps a 1% chance of surviving the night, due to several extremely virulent and advanced bacterial infections leading to sepsis.
Several months later I returned for a scheduled second surgery, which had some severe complications. I ended up unable to eat or drink anything for seven months ( I lived on infusions ), and then the pandemic hit, and I live in what was, at the time, the epicenter of COVID in the United States.. so it wasn't looking good.
By the grace of God, I am alive, I am relatively well, but I will probably not be able to play bagpipes again due to the internal pressure that the blowing causes. This was not good news to me, and I will perhaps look into playing bellows blown pipes at some point... but, this new instrument is a direct result of all of this. My hope is to be able to sit quietly, and simply play some music. I have no interest in playing for audiences... I just want to be able to play something lovely.
So... now the wait begins. Approximately four months was the anticipated waiting period. I generally add some time to these estimates, because life happens.
I am excited!! Wish me luck!! Perhaps I might even be able to actually learn to play this thing!! :)
