I miss the guitar I never played

I have been writing since Christmas, but I have not been happy with the results mostly. I also have spent too much time working on my computers, hence my pathetic blog silence. Until now ...

I finished the Christmas season having spent less than $100, including a $200 gift from Claren that we ordered last night. She bought me some computer stuff for my Mac at home. It was a surprise for me, mainly because I had not planned on Claren buying me anything.

But I got an unexpected $250 check last night at dinner from my nephew (actually from my brother-in-law, but my nephew gave him the money).

I didn't really want it.

You see, the check was for my 1972 Fender Stratocaster.

I got the guitar for $200 from the husband of a family my sister baby-sat for. The wife wanted to get rid of the guitar, so I got the deal of a century for the beautiful blond guitar. Even back then it was worth a lot more.

I wanted to be Eric Clapton, I guess. I think maybe I hoped to become popular as a guitarist. It did not work. The person most impressed was a guy who thought Fugazi was as good as it got.

I had no plans to practice night and day, which might have helped for a while, but you run into few guitarists so uncoordinated that they can't walk. Freidriech's ataxia was more cruel to my brother who did practice a lot and still was not able to become a sax teacher.

I haven't played the Strat in years. It was in a closet for a while, then one of my brother's friends used it for a while to see if he wanted to buy it. Finally, it went to my brother-in-law whose son started to play it.

I haven't even seen it recently.

But I am not sure I was ready to sell it. Not that I had a good reason to keep it. I don't expect to get cured and get music in my soul. It's not like I just saw one on eBay for $4,500. (I mean I did, but that is not the reason I did not want to sell it. More money would not make it better.) And it's not like I could put it on my wall; the guitar needs to be played.

At least, my nephew promised to thank me when he wins a Grammy.