A bit of piping

Had a chance to help out a friend and do some piping at the same time last night.

Brian McCoy, founder/leader of The Kells and multi-instrumentalist (flute, tinwhistle and uilleann pipes) is looking to either purchase a new set of uilleann pipes or augment his existing set of pipes.

And that's not an easy thing to do. There are probably 40 uilleann pipe makers in the world. Brian is a wise consumer and he wanted to play as many sets by different makers before making a decision.

So, my set, made by Seth Gallagher, was on his list and it was a good time with Brian talking and playing about Irish trad music and pipes.

One thing that surprised us both was the different tones we did and did not get out of our respective pipes when we weren't playing them.

But as the night wore on we got used to how the instrument played and responded. It was nice to hear what my pipes sounded like when I'm not playing them. Brian is an excellent musician, so it was a bit of a treat for me.

Since I wasn't the one contemplating a new set of pipes I got the chance to ask some questions about wants/needs given how his current set sounded.

Aside from the piping, the wants vs. needs is something we all struggle with - some more than others. They have a tendency to get blurred, lose their distinctions and make our lives a mess in the process.

It's especially true in this Christmas season. Kids (and adults) have their Christmas lists made out and fantasizing about getting gift X, Y and Z.

And it gets back to wants vs. needs.

On the first Christmas God gave mankind what mankind needed: A Savior.

Merry Christmas!