Don't Worry, Be Happy by Jacob

Don't Worry, Be Happy by Jacob - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

He sits barefoot all the time. He’s always pleasant. He’s always relaxed. He’s always smiling. Ron Howle has been my guitar teacher for the past six years. Ron has not only taught me guitar, but he also taught me how to live happily.
Running through life, I never really take the time to slow down. Normally, I feel stressed out from my everyday activities. I devote a lot of time to academics, I’m on three sports teams, and I’m trying to balance all that with preparing for college. Pile all that up and it can feel pretty crushing. However, all of that changes when I go in for my guitar lesson.
Ron has an attitude unlike anyone else. Not once have I seen him stressed, or disappointed, or angry. Sure things bother him, but he always takes the best from a situation. Broken guitar strings just mean an opportunity to get cool new strings. No chord is really a bad chord, it just might not sound right. This serenity so thoroughly juxtaposed my outlook on things that it took me awhile to really get where Ron was coming from. After years of talking with him and jamming out, he has taught me to unwind and look on the brightside. This revelation never came through a single lesson, but through just watching how utterly at peace you can be, no matter what happens to you.
To be fair, Ron can cause me some stress too. However, what he pushes me to do is always for my own good. After a year or two of lessons he encouraged me to audition to be the bassist for our church’s worship band. I wasn’t at all confident in what I could do, but his peace and his confidence gave me the courage to try. I’ve been in that band for four years now and loved every minute of it. He has really helped me delve into my creative side and taught me that I’m more than what my transcript says. Through him I’ve learned how to really enjoy and appreciate music, and as I grow I feel that skill will be invaluable.
Ron really never taught me how to “be happy.” At the end of the day the only true lessons Ron gave me were on my pentatonic scales and what on earth an A suspended fourth is. However, just by talking to him, laughing with him, and watching how alright he was with everything, he’s taught me more than he could know. He taught me how to just chill out.