friends that don't speak your language

Music has taken off in my mind.
Over the last few weeks, I have become increasingly mesmerized by the effects of our universal language. Truly it is! I have met people from all around the globe: France, Belgium, Austria, Australia, Ukraine, Brazil. I took a bus ride with a girl from Sweden, I painted my surfboard with a Brit, I discuss photography techniques with an elderly Russian, while we drank Hawaiian beer.
There are moments when language works, and many times when words have no meaning.

Music, however, has yet to fail.
I brought my guitar with me - I'm glad I did.
I haven't been playing "songs", just simply melodies.
People listen, they dance, they smile, they come together in strange places and share what they know.
Last night, I spent a few hours just playing simple tunes around where I live. No words, nothing but the notes themselves. People stopped. They slowed down and congregated. At first it was about me, the focus was on the guitar.. but then I became the background noise to conversations and connections. It was as if the songs led people to one another. I watched as perfect strangers became acquainted; as the personal walls of fearfulness broke down and friendships were formed.

The people that could speak English began asking me questions - we laughed, we talked, it was raw. I want to practice my guitar more. I like learning new languages... or actually learning "the" language.



(Andrew Tipton)