Over the past two weeks, I’ve had the chance to connect with people who share my enthusiasm for playing ukulele and guitar. I also stood shoulder to shoulder with community members who share my political views and the thousands of people who do not wish to be ruled by a king or dictator. I experienced some anxiety about attending the No Kings protest . Nights leading up to the demonstration, I had trouble falling asleep and I kept envisioning myself choking on tear gas. With our wannabe king sending the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles, all the while ramping up ICE raids and separating families, who can sleep? On the morning of the No Kings protest, I resolved to attend regardless of what opposition we, the people, were met with. Part of me kept telling myself that there was nothing to fear in Santa Barbara, especially since Santa Barbara’s sheriff had sent local police to guard federal buildings in Los Angeles. Knowing that these tactics are meant to frighten people into not speaking out, I was able to overcome my fear. After settling on a spot on Cabrillo, across from Chad’s, and seeing the joy on people’s faces, I started to feel relaxed and happy to find so many like-minded people. Next time I attend a similar demonstration, I will bring an instrument and sing some protest songs.
I read somewhere that one of the best things you can do for your brain is to study music or learn how to play an instrument. During the pandemic, I learned how to play ukulele in several online classes. While learning anything online has its challenges, it is surprisingly effective. Also, for myself, music has become more than a hobby. I have integrated music into all aspects of my life and have made friends with online classmates near and far, some as far away as Kenya. So when one of my ukulele friends told me she was holding a strum along in Santa Monica at the library she works at, I knew I had to go, even if it was just to support my librarian friend and fellow ukulele enthusiast, Barbara C. Fleeman.
Sure there are closer places than Santa Monica to commune with fellow ukulele strummers, such as the Ventura Harbor, where I sometimes meet Barbara to spend the morning strumming with dozens of people and singing familiar tunes that Gary Ballen puts together in ukulele books he shares online. However, Ventura is where I find friends I’ve met online who live in Camarillo, Santa Paula, or Culver City. The harbor is perfect during months when the weather is not too hot and not too cold, but that glorious mix of just enough cloud coverage and blue sky.