When I sent my last email, I asked you to let me know how you’re doing. I was glad to hear back from folks.

I was a little surprised by what I heard back, though.

Turns out all the “free time” we supposedly had over the last couple of years didn’t amount to a lot of extra guitar practice...

I mean, it was a good marketing idea for guitar sellers and online teachers to talk up playing your guitar for hours on end every day, but that didn’t happen.

I think most people had too many other things on their minds...

Understandably.

So now that we’re heading into a new year, maybe it’s time to reflect back on what got you started with guitar in the first place.

Do you remember the thing that did it for you?

Was it a song, or something you saw on TV, or maybe an event somewhere?

For me, guitar popped in and out of my life when I was a kid. One of my older cousins played a bit. Since I looked up to him, I thought it would be cool to learn how to strum.

Years later after I had already started playing (and quitting) violin, a neighbor had an acoustic that I was drawn to. I would pick it up and try to pick out song melodies.

The music of the day had lots of guitar featured, and I liked the songs by James Taylor and Bread, the Eagles and Firefall, John Denver and Paul Simon.

I was no good at sports, and I thought if I was EVER going to get a girlfriend, I’d need to be in a band.

So I asked for a guitar for Christmas. My parents got me a small acoustic and I got signed up for lessons the following spring.

Those only lasted into the summer because we ended up moving, and it ended up being a couple of years of getting settled in a new city before I started lessons again.

And a few more years before I got rid of my John Denver haircut and glasses, which also wasn’t helping in the romance department!