---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment Tom, Your post was quite moving. Thanks for offering us a glimpse of something that we all hope we don't have to see from the inside. Dave Stahl In a message dated 10/13/03 7:10:37 PM Pacific Daylight Time, Tvak@aol.com writes: > Today I tuned a Wurly spinet in a nursing home. I have never experienced > such negativity anywhere in my brief (6 years) career as a tuner. There were > about 10 patients of the nursing home in the activity room where the piano > was and as soon as I walked in and introduced myself to the attendant, a chorus > arose. > > "He's not going to PLAY the piano, is he?" to which the attendant would > reply, "No, he's going to tune it." Five minutes later, "What's he doing at the > piano? Is he playing it?" "No, he's tuning it." And as if there was a tape > loop set up in the room, five minutes later, someone else would ask, "What's > he doing at the piano? Is he playing it?" "Does he have to play the > piano?" "Why can't he stop?" > > I tuned as quietly and quickly as I could. > > Then they started a game of BINGO. I'd respectfully pause as each number > was called, and then resume striking keys and tuning, but after every number, > someone would yell out "I can't hear because of that piano!" One lady threw > her BINGO board on the floor and refused to play because I made it too > difficult to hear. > > These people in the twilight of their lives had returned to a state of > childhood, where their only concern was themselves. > > I always try to do the best job I can under any circumstances, whether it be > noisy kids, barking dogs, no light, whatever...it doesn't faze me. Never > before have I felt like I just wanted to get out of there as quickly as I > could. I didn't adjust the pitch, it was about 10 cents sharp. I tuned it where > it was; as quietly, and quickly as possible, and headed for the door. It > probably wasn't a very stable tuning: I didn't feel like I could really strike > those hard blows without garnering more animosity. They made me feel in no > uncertaint terms that I was intruding. > > I know these people have problems much more severe than my own. This is not > a happy time in their lives. This post is not meant as an indictment of > their behavior. Rather it is about my reaction to it. > > This experience made me realize that I have gotten used to people being > happy to see me. I come on time, I provide a service that improves their lives > in a small way, I'm polite, and everyone comes out ahead. Day after day. > > I enjoy the general pleasantry of my daily existence. Without this nursing > home appointment I don't think I would have been cognizant of that, having > become accustomed to it. > > I went to my next appointment and met the most delightful old retired fellow > with a beautiful 1915 Steinway Louis XIV grand. I think it was rosewood. > > ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/05/a9/06/d0/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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