Use it or lose it

There was a time in my distant past when I could play music by Beethoven, Chopin and Haydn on the piano. My fingers danced on the keyboard; after enough practice, my digits would go on auto-pilot, setting my mind free to fully enjoy the beauty of those melodies. Later on, having gotten bored with piano, I dreamed of being a dancer and willingly put my body through multiple hours of daily practice in the studio. After three years, my body was so fit and agile that doing jetés, pirouettes, and rond de jambe en l'air was as easy as taking a stroll. In both cases, practice was the key to proficiency and enjoyment.

I can't make such boasts any more. Neither my body nor my fingers dance these days for one simple reason: the lack of practice during the years that have slipped by. I have proven the unfortunate 'use it or loose it' saying. Recently, scientific research has empirically affirmed what we all know. Studies on muscle mass, bone density and brain plasticity indicate, generally speaking, lack of use diminishes function over time. 

Knowing all this I found these words from Jesus surprisingly fresh and relevant, even though he spoke them two thousand years ago: "To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away." (Matthew 25:29)