Tuning up is part of performing. Anyone who has attended a concert is familiar with the cacophony of fifty instruments, each sliding toward agreement. I try to finish the process before I step into the preschool room, to spare the children the delay. But once in a while I let them watch. It is a metaphor for personal growth. 

Fifty years ago, tuning happened by a simple comparison between one string and its neighbor, played on the fifth fret. If I wanted to be fancy, I would use harmonics. Then there are those musicians with perfect pitch. Eventually, someone invented electronic devices that turn from red to green when the string is correctly stretched. Pretty clever, if you ask me. Recently I downloaded an app on my phone which makes the tool obsolete. I appreciate the visual confirmation that chords will play nicely together. 

Someone wrote in this week to Off the Left Eye with a question. 

"How can I measure whether I am doing the right thing?" 

I smiled. Wouldn't an app for that be miraculous? Speak your potential conversation into your phone, and you get a visual read of its value. 

Snarkiness- 8%

Authenticity- 6 %

Criticism- 14%

Or it would parse your intended action. 

"Siri, I plan to cancel a lunch date with a friend. I am not in the mood to listen to her complaints. What do you think?"

"Well, your friend is going through tough medical choices. You have said you want to support her. Flaking out gets a poor score for loyalty. Plus, she paid for lunch the last time."

I did not pontificate these thoughts to the reader on Off the Left Eye. But I did suggest that we humans are wired with an inner tuner. My face does not change colors, but I get a rumbley feeling inside when I am trying to justify being selfish. Things come into resonance when I choose to hold my tongue, or banish the negativity. My heart hums with a pure harmonic. 

The thing is, guitars, and violins have to be retuned often. Once just doesn't last. The same is true for self reflection.