I Play the Wallflower Instrument

My hands have recently said goodbye to my viola. My calluses are gone. My fingers are nice and smooth. I haven't had to super-glue my bleeding fingertips in months. I have hit the hardest phase of withdrawal yet: the sickening realization that you can't live without the thing you just gave up. My baby is 236 miles away, in a cold, dark case.

The last time I saw her, I was leaving her along the back of my wall. Only now do I realize how poetic the placement was; the viola, wallflower instrument.

A pretty typical response that I get when I first make mention of my viola might follow the lines of, "what's a viola?"

Allow me to enlighten you.

The viola.

Basically, a violin on steroids. I like this video because it shows off a bit of the range. We can go lower than a violin. And we're way bigger so we can smash your violin into the ground.

But most people have never heard of us. No, it's fine. We're just the ones that make the rest of the orchestra sound good. Whatever.

Can't wait to see my baby next week. Forgive me, Viola?