My son, Tejay, had his first piano recital several years ago. His instructor made it very clear he was to stand at the front of the stage after finishing his piece to bow. Soon, I caught him bowing and excitedly grinning around the house leading up to the recital. I remember him asking me, “why do you bow?”. I explained that bowing was a way of saying thank you to the audience for taking the time to listen and to acknowledge their encouragement for cheering him on. Bowing is to be an act of humility and not a prideful moment where you stand arrogantly and expect applause.
Even though his recital was several years ago, the act of bowing hasn’t stopped in this house. My boy has somehow now incorporated that into our morning routine. As we get ready to leave for school, he’ll say, “I’ll meet you in the car, do the bow thing.” I chuckle as he expects me to walk out of the garage and bow before jumping in my car. Sometimes I’m waiting on him, and he runs out of the house and bows with a dance, twirl, or dab. Honestly, I never know what to expect from him and this silly little routine, but I cheerfully run with it on most days.
When we walk out of the house together, he grabs my hand, and we bow collectively. It’s true; I’m always looking to see if the neighbor has a camera in my back alley. Even so, I grab his hand, and we bow. We often say, “Hello, world!” or, “Thanks for having us.” I laugh at our ritual yet reminded that bowing is a way of saying thank you.
So today, I do the bow thing, and I say, “welcome friends, thanks for stopping by. I hope you pick up joy, inspiration, and a cupful of cheer, wisdom, courage, and strength from our blog.
Comments