An ode to my Viola

We've been together for 22 years. And I would be a liar if I didn't admit that this has been one roller coaster ride of a relationship! We met when I was 11 years old at WR Thomas Middle School in Miami, Fl, in a class called "Strings for Beginners". I had no idea what you were, I just wanted to be around music as much as possible. You were smaller than a cello, I liked your tone, & I could walk home from school with you. Those first three years with you were a crash course in music theory, as well as string playing. Around the age of 15, I moved to California. That was where our relationship was saturated with the best music knowledge. During my private viola lessons with you & my teacher Laura, I learned that my first three years, I was holding you incorrectly, & I had to re-learn how to hold you, while keeping my repertoire up to date with my peers. Because of the incorrect posture, I developed a small cyst in my left wrist, which was there for about two years while I was in high school. We joined the top youth orchestra in Southern California, The Claremont Young Musicians Orchestra. In that orchestra, we learned some wonderful symphonies, met some amazing musicians, & we were fortunate enough to tour Europe for a couple of weeks as well. We were also in the best arts high, ever, ever, The Los Angeles High School County for the Arts. Boy, you & I had a blast there! When we went to college, it wasn't at all what I expected , as you & I had an accelerated music education in high school. So, college was a bit of a bore, actually. My brain was insulted to play Shostakovich's 5th symphony again, as we learned that sucker in CYMO. I was disappointed that violinists were being told at the college level, to pick up the viola, since they were told by their teachers they would never make it as a violin player. I wanted O.U.T. ,Outta there! In my time here in LA, during my twenties, I branched out my creativity and maybe our relationship dwindled. We played some really small events, but I was occupied designing clothes for hairless cats, & diverted my focus to sewing. Now I'm in my thirties, & we don't have a recording in a major professional orchestra, nor do we have a music degree . But what I do have with you, dear viola, is 22 years of the deepest well of memories with my teachers, my stand partners, & many fellow musicians. We came this far together, exploring the viola tone in the most finest places. Other relationships in my life have dissipated, but the one I have with you remains true to my heart. No matter how many times I wanted to smash you into a bazillion splinters, no matter how much physical pain I have endured in my arms & hands over the years, no matter how many rejections & successes we received together, you are my best friend, and I love you for giving me a voice through the viola tone & being known as that girl who reads that weird clef.