Chris Writing Anything

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

If I were to answer this question, “What’s something most people don’t know about you?” I’d tell you that I once played the drums. Okay, friends from high school would know this. However, and I’ll highlight it in this post, no one knows how I had to swallow my fears to learn the drum set.

It was the mid to late eighties…and I was frustrated. You see, in my house, I had a snare drum. That wasn’t disappointing. The disappointing part was that I owned no other drum. So, on many occasions, I’d go to the kitchen cupboards, finding boxes, pots and pans. Literally, I beat those items till they were unrecognizable.

Of course, I had begged for a drum set. Mom and Dad’s answer remained constant… “No!” So, finally, after running out of imitation percussion instruments, I played my final card. “I swear, if it’s the only thing I get for Christmas, I’ll be happy!”

Mom and Dad finally relented, and Dad took me to a music shop in Green Bay. He literally bought the cheapest drum set the place had. It was used, beat to heck and it had only one tom-tom…I didn’t care, the drum kit was better than a Quaker Oats can.

Anyways, my goal was to learn the drum set. I wasn’t the most coordinated adolescent, so it would take a lot of time. What was worse, Mom and Dad placed the contraption down in the basement…that cellar was CREEPY!!

I’d have to gather my courage to go into that stony, dank and gloomy foundation. Even when I did, being that there were a few chambers in this cellar, I’d sometimes wind up horrified. A door would sway with the drafts, or I’d see a fly’s shadow crossing a bare lightbulb’s rays.

Sometimes, in mid beat, I’d just freeze in terror. And I’d sit frozen, like alarmed prey, until I was positive there was no threat. Yet, despite the trepidation, I learned a few beats. By high school, while I certainly wasn’t the greatest drummer, I was allowed to play in the jazz band. And, really, since there wasn’t a school rock band, that was the goal all along.

Moments playing in jazz band live with me, yet, so do moments in that creepy basement. But, hell, I learned a lesson in conquering fear!

Have an Excellent Day!