“Better on your Sax than on your Sex” : The Art of Positive Thinking

Photo by Sylenius

The other day I was having an arugula sandwich with my oldest sister and her French (Canadian) Manpanion when we got on the subject of band teachers (very provocative, I know). My sisters and I were all in band growing up (flute, french horn, and the alto and bari saxophone–quite the trio of nerds) though we never did all play together. We each had different band teachers–and we got on the subject of my first band teacher. 

“Ughh, do you remember my sixth grade band teacher! What was his name…?” 

“Uh…Paa…Paa…I don’t know.” 

“Well, it was the WORST. I remember in our lessons he would take my saxophone and play it–he’d put his mouth on it and it was so disgusting. And then he’d just wipe it off. Can you imagine?” 

“Ah!?! Yuck, that IS the worst.” 

“And then in high school when I played the bari sax–I had to share the mouthpiece with like two other students. And all we had to clean it was this minty-tasting spray stuff–man, I still can’t believe I didn’t get like the herp or anything!” 

Then the French Manpanion suddenly interrupts and in all seriousness says, “Well eet ees bedtare on your zax than on your zex.” 

True, French Manpanion, very true.

“People deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong…Why not try and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom?” — Thich Nhat Hanh