Magic In Central Park

Start writing...When presented with the opportunity to capture a moment of my life in a bottle my mind began to fly through a multitude of creative ways to tell my truth but in the end I could only settle for one.

I've come to New York as a man who has overcome a lifetime of adversity and childhood trauma. Like many, I arrived to this tiny island off the north eastern coast of America seeking opportunity and success.

It was one morning while I was walking through Central Park, caught up in my thoughts around some reservations I still had about my decision to leave everything behind, when I was kissed by the music of this amazing woman playing the cello.

I found a bench just off to the side and sat in silent reverence. Captured by the magic of the moment. I witnessed, to her melody God's workmanship as it unfolded around me. My mind danced and traveled through nature as it surrounded us. The hum of her bow slicing against the strings filled the air.

I was held there on that bench under the weight of gratitude and appreciation. How great was this moment! It would never happen again in all the collection of eternity. It was a blessing to partake in such a thing as this.

I was able to hear the passion in Tamars voice when she told me why she played the cello and what its music meant to her. She described how important it was that people not forget the beauty in music, especially during a time when society was polarized due to disease and politics.

I left the park a changed man forever. All it took was a woman to love something so much she was willing to prove it in a public place while letting her cello sing.

I come from a world filled with the noise of heavy bass booming through car windows, random outbursts of laughter, and the sound of gunshots followed by sirens in the night.

I was first introduced to this genre in the form of opera and classical music in prison. I used to lay on my bunk with a towel covering my eyes listening to the classical station on a prison issued radio. I used clear plastic earbuds to block out my environment. I learned that the many instruments in symphony were enough to block out the screams and shouts of the prisoners around me. The orchestra would save my mind from being overtaken by the pressure of violence and separation anxiety. Music became my escape. No words. Just the melody taking me away.

Running into Tamar and her cello was the cherry on the cake for me. That moment was the result of a culmination of years worth of preparation. It was more than the music. Her instrument was the vehicle in which God's divine hand ushered in a new level of awakening for me. It complimented the fresh sense of peace I had It was a moment when the clash of history, culture, and the birth of a new beginning met in a single span of time to bring forth a victory for me.

I've come to understand the importance of peace. A peace that isn't based on someone else or circumstance. True peace, I've come to realize, comes from within. It is something one cultivates in his/her mind and manifests outwardly. It surpasses all understanding.

Nowadays, I sit in Central Park on that same bench and a look at our world filled with wonder. Sometimes I can even catch the hum of her cello amongst the crackle of leaves running with the breeze.