A Screaming Face on your Foot
A post by Rebecca Shasberger
A few weeks ago Renovare played for a Diabetes Support Group at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center in downtown Cleveland. I confess - I had no idea what such a group was about. A quick Google search informed me that as time goes on diabetes becomes as much an intellectual and emotional battle as a physical one. Eager to understand further, I arrived early to sit in on their meeting before our performance.
The discussion ranged from the importance of setting up your will now, regardless of your age, to strategies for managing neuropathic pain. When the presenter asked if anyone in the room struggles with neuropathic pain, many heads nodded and hands were raised. One woman described the sensation: “It feels like you have a face on your foot that's screaming.” This image is hard for me to wrap my mind around, but the response in the room made it evident that her description accurately described many people’s experiences.
Walking was brought up as an easy, convenient way to ease neuropathic pain. The presenter showed pictures of people happily walking down the street, and I thought of how much I enjoy taking a walk around my neighborhood when the Cleveland weather cooperates. “I wouldn’t be safe walking in my neighborhood unless I had an AK-47,” one woman responded, jolting me back to reality. “They have walking programs you can watch on your VCR and walk right in your living room, if you’re not comfortable going outside,” another woman offered in response. I don’t know if I was more perplexed at the thought of walking in my living room or by the fact that she said ‘VCR’. Both reveal ways in which I am privileged, as does the fact that I never fear for my safety when outside in my neighborhood.
The presentation wrapped up with suggestions of using meditation, mental imagery, or prayer as aides in the daily battle of diabetes. Then came our performance, an opportunity for people to engage one of those practices or simply rest and enjoy the music before going on with their day. As we unpacked our instruments a woman asked us what we were playing. Upon hearing the list of composers she asked, “So, no hip hop songs?” We didn’t have a great response for her besides, “No, not today.” Imagine our delight when she stopped us after our performance and said, “I didn’t think I was going to understand that, but it was very relaxing. Thank you.” Again I was reminded how when music is offered in humility and love, and played with excellence, it can impact people across divides of genre or background or disease.
Our audience was an enthusiastic one across the board, clapping loudly and thanking us for bringing them music. Almost no one in that room fit the stereotype of what one might picture when they think of classical music aficionados. While some may have been appreciating it for the first time, others identified themselves as long-time lovers of classical music. One woman told us how she used to love going to hear the Cleveland Orchestra, but with the current price of tickets she can’t afford to go anymore. What a joy it is to share music and the love of God with lovers of classical music, new and long-time alike.