I Pay for Piano Lessons the Way Some People Pay for Haircuts

It's true.
I pay for piano lessons the way some people pay for haircuts
Monthly.
I pay for haircuts the way some people pay for vacations.
Yearly. Maybe.
I pay for vacations the way people pay for weddings.
Haphazardly.
And Always.

Many years ago (15), I dabbled in the wedding industry. I sewed a wedding dress as well as a few separate bridal party ensembles. The dress was a chore. It was pure silk; the bodice required challenging modification and the skirt and underskirts involved so much yardage of tulle I developed a very tangible appreciation for all-purpose petticoats. Everything was mocked up in muslin, multiple times. The bridal party skirts and dresses were the same - maiden voyages in dupioni and chiffon and organza and french seams. Not to mention ripped out seams, fittings, and frustrations galore. I faked it and made it, and realized I could charge all the more on the merit of the W word. I struggled a bit with the good fortune that came with the earning power of the W.  Ultimately I decided I wasn't (and didn't want to be) a skilled enough seamstress to take on the ultimate challenges of wedding couture. There are plenty of other people to take on that madness. Always.

Vacation is defined loosely in my lexicon - a week, a day, an evening, an out of the ordinary submission to some time without a high responsibility factor to others. And often, my vacation space comes as a gift from others. But I pay (with time and/or money) for vacations the way people pay for weddings:
Haphazardly - because it's the only way I can.
And Always - because the investment in a little break from the ordinary does one well.