SOPP368: The most important issue is my physical limitations

This question was sent by Nancy, and she writes: Thank you for the information, Vidas. I have followed the suggestions on the link, and I think all is well with my subscription. You asked about my playing now. There are two issues that I am dealing with: (1) The first, and most important, issue is my physical limitations. I have been muddling along as best I can, playing almost exclusively on manuals--not how I like it to be, at all, and certainly not how I learned to play the organ fifty years ago. Unfortunately, there is at least one level of my lumbar spine (at L-4) where the nerve into my right leg is compressed by severe arthritis. Until I have major surgery to release the compressed nerve, I simply can't cope with the pain in my right leg and lower back long enough to return to pedal-playing. The medical testing to locate exactly where the anomalies are, has been ongoing since early this past spring; the neurosurgeon to whom I have entrusted my care is in no hurry to operate. This is a long-standing problem that affects not only my organ-playing, but also my ability to carry on the ordinary activities of daily life. (2) The second issue is that this coming Sunday is the last day the congregation of my church will worship in the sanctuary for several months. To save money on heating, for the past ten years we have vacated the sanctuary after the last Sunday in December and moved into a much smaller space in our Vestry, where we have worshiped through Epiphany and most of Lent. Return to the sanctuary is on Palm Sunday. For that period of time, music is provided on the piano (and sometimes via the pastor's MP3 player). Although I have a small portable heater that sits on the organ bench, the sanctuary is simply too cold to allow for realistic practice time. Having the heat in the sanctuary turned on up for practice time is an extravagance the church cannot afford. I effectively cease being an organist during this hiatus. My hope is that both issues might be resolved in the ensuing months, but that may be asking too much. I intend to keep up with my keyboard practice and to do as much with Total Organist as I can, short of actually having a pipe organ to play. As I am expected to provide the music for our winter worship services, the keyboard part can continue to improve. Just not with any registration. Or pedals. I hope this gives you at least a partial picture of the environment in which I work. It has been over thirty years since I have had any instruction, and it is time for me to get serious again--my love for the organ in our sanctuary is a powerful motivator. Thank you for all that you do to encourage those of us who try to be faithful organists while living and working in less-than-ideal circumstances. All the best for the New Year, Nancy