I have one of those classic ’90s motivational posters hanging up at home with a closeup picture of a magnificent wave. It simply says “Challenge: The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it.” I started out liking this poster simply because I love the ocean, but it has stuck around over the years because it seems to sum up part of my approach to life. I seem to take the more difficult path, and that does seem to be more satisfying. It’s not all that different from my favorite poem, The Road Not Taken: “…I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” Given all that, I’ve recently taken another difficult path that hearkens back to my childhood. Soon, I’ll write more about what I’m doing, but for now, I thought it might be good to share some back story.
Way back in elementary school, after “successfully” playing the recorder, we got to pick a “real” instrument. My grandma wanted me to play saxophone like she did, and my mom shared her terrible tales of the saxophone, so I didn’t even consider a reed instrument. I didn’t like the buzzing feeling, so brass was right out. I was enamored with percussion, but was discouraged from that. So, I landed on the flute and, despite being told my mouth wasn’t right for it, enjoyed playing for the next five years. I remained intrigued by percussion, but the closest I got to it was teaching myself guitar and enjoying the thumping incorporated into some popular songs at the time (eg, “More than Words”). Fast forward to 10th grade and band became a miserable experience. The band director decided to put me on piccolo, because I was good at it and he needed it…but I absolutely hated it. I tried everything to get back into flute, but he wasn’t having it. So, when we moved to Peachtree City my junior year, I quit band.
Many years later, I found myself with musically-inclined children who all sang in chorus and also wanted to play instruments. Ironically, each one of them went into the instrument test-drive wanting to play percussion. They all did well enough to be allowed on percussion, but Brandon was the only one who forged that path. Alex went with trumpet and Lizzy went with oboe (that is, until she was forced to walk into the orchestra room the first week of school and fell in love with the bass). So, I journeyed alongside my kids doing chorus, band, and orchestra.
As Brandon moved into high school, I continued volunteering wherever my kids were and thus, was welcomed into the tightknit family of percussion moms. It was loud and hard work to help support these kids. However, it was thoroughly enjoyable to be on the sidelines of rehearsals, concerts, and marching band. Now that Brandon’s in college, I still get the concerts and the drumline performances, but it’s not quite the same as being in the thick of it.
With the youngest child off to college, a lot of my volunteer roles diminished or vanished. My calendar starting having free time after work and on weekends. People started asking what I was going to do with my time. Of course, time has a way of filling itself (at least for me), and the adjustment to a new season is gradual. It’s certainly weird to spend so many years pouring into your children and then to realize that chapter is complete. It occurred to me that I could do some things just because I wanted to (and not feel selfish about it). So, I started trying new things….stuff I wasn’t sure I could do, wasn’t sure I would enjoy, and wasn’t sure I would be able to do when I got older.
I came across the Seed & Feed marching band on Facebook and something clicked. There were opportunities to play music again and a chance to jump into percussion. I’ve enjoyed their performances at DragonCon every year for several decades, but then I started following them more closely nearly two years ago. At Con last year, I watched the parade with an exhilarating thought that maybe I could be part of that some day. Thom has known about this weird percussion fascination for a long time, and has always encouraged me to jump in. He thinks I can do anything, but I doubt myself in everything. After Con, Brandon started in on the encouragement too. That definitely tipped things, as I wouldn’t ever want him to feel like I was stepping on anything he was doing. We talked frequently about the prospect, with me seeing every wall and him telling me those walls could all be overcome. Finally, just before Christmas, Brandon went with me to the music store and we got a practice pad and drumsticks. He told me I was going to play somewhere somehow in 2024. Life got busy with Christmas, backpacking, and a hectic January at my school, but then things suddenly fell into place when I least expected it…
Standing Strength 