“I gave up learning to play the cello when I heard Jacqueline du Pré”

It’s a quote from my father

He was a massive classical music fan

It’s two years now since he left us

Now, I too love Jacqueline du Pré

But I cannot help thinking that maybe he was being too hard on himself

Whenever we start something, we are probably pretty rubbish

We are at position zero

Now Jacqueline du Pré is at position 100

If we are at zero, we shouldn’t compare ourselves to somebody at 100

Our job maybe to play three blind mice or London’s burning

Getting to position 1 is a win

Maybe with enough practice we can get to a 2, or a 5 or a 10

But don’t beat yourself up if you don’t

It’s not Elgar's Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85 for sure

But who cares, your winning 

I sometime wonder how far Dad would have got if he hadn’t heard Jacqueline

But if you have a hard day at work, give Jacqueline du Pré a listen