Take Your Stool and Begin to Play

Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out?
- Ian

Take Your Stool and Begin to Play

Have you ever heard the saying, “Marches to the beat of a different drummer?” It holds a warm spot in my heart because when I was a child I wanted to be like my father who was a drummer. He loved big band music and played his drum set in our basement. I would listen to him playing and would marvel at his skill in using the different drums and symbols contained in his set.


When he was playing with his whole demeanor would change. He would become lost in his movements as if transported to another realm while being swallowed alive by the music. Yet, he was still there with his arms flailing and his feet taping.


I loved it when he would take his talent and combine it with other instruments to form a band. During such “gigs” he became more than just a drummer; he was a member of a band making amazing music. As I listened to the music I noticed that the drums became the generator of the rhythm, the pulse of the musical gift, as they blended with the other instruments. This has ever been the case for me through all the years.


It has been many, many years since hearing the drums from my childhood. But I was thrilled to be transported back to those days when I recently went to a family wedding. Upon my arrival at the reception I was greeted by a group of young musicians playing jazz. My father was there and I watched him look on with wanting eyes.


I wasn’t the only one who noticed the desire in his eyes. Because, before long, he was invited to take his seat with the band and his transformation was revealed before my eyes once again. There he was, unique to the band because of his years. And, there he was, becoming one with the music and the other band members regardless of their differences!


It was their difference that made the music so interesting and so intricate. It was their difference that gave new life and meaning to everyone hearing the sound of their music.
I saw only one person with quiet reservation looking on as my father played. He was the contemporary drummer in the band. I’m pretty sure he had the feeling that he had been replaced. My father certainly didn’t look as if he intended to yield his prized position within a short space of time. Perhaps the young drummer had the chance to feel what my father has been feeling for a while; his place and time with the band had drawn to a close.


But, it wasn’t time for the young drummer to be so isolated. Soon my father yielded up the stool and handed over the sticks to their rightful owner. The drummers had changed, but the music remained magical!


Later, my friend Ian made the comment to me that he had witnessed a transformation in my father during the exchange. We had been talking about people and their unique abilities not long before. During that conversation I loved his question to another friend, “Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out!”


Just like the drummer has a unique talent that stands out, yet still adds to the beauty of the band’s music, each one of us has something to give the world that only we can give. Discover what you love to do; make sure it makes you feel as if you want to flail your arms and tap your toes with joy every time you wake up in the morning. When find it, you’ll know you’re ready to take your place in the band and make beautiful music. The music of the universe needs you! Please take your stool and start to play!

Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out?
- Ian

Take Your Stool and Begin to Play

Have you ever heard the saying, “Marches to the beat of a different drummer?” It holds a warm spot in my heart because when I was a child I wanted to be like my father who was a drummer. He loved big band music and played his drum set in our basement. I would listen to him playing and would marvel at his skill in using the different drums and symbols contained in his set.

When he was playing with his whole demeanor would change. He would become lost in his movements as if transported to another realm while being swallowed alive by the music. Yet, he was still there with his arms flailing and his feet taping.

I loved it when he would take his talent and combine it with other instruments to form a band. During such “gigs” he became more than just a drummer; he was a member of a band making amazing music. As I listened to the music I noticed that the drums became the generator of the rhythm, the pulse of the musical gift, as they blended with the other instruments. This has ever been the case for me through all the years.

It has been many, many years since hearing the drums from my childhood. But I was thrilled to be transported back to those days when I recently went to a family wedding. Upon my arrival at the reception I was greeted by a group of young musicians playing jazz. My father was there and I watched him look on with wanting eyes.

I wasn’t the only one who noticed the desire in his eyes. Because, before long, he was invited to take his seat with the band and his transformation was revealed before my eyes once again. There he was, unique to the band because of his years. And, there he was, becoming one with the music and the other band members regardless of their differences!

It was their difference that made the music so interesting and so intricate. It was their difference that gave new life and meaning to everyone hearing the sound of their music.
I saw only one person with quiet reservation looking on as my father played. He was the contemporary drummer in the band. I’m pretty sure he had the feeling that he had been replaced. My father certainly didn’t look as if he intended to yield his prized position within a short space of time. Perhaps the young drummer had the chance to feel what my father has been feeling for a while; his place and time with the band had drawn to a close.

But, it wasn’t time for the young drummer to be so isolated. Soon my father yielded up the stool and handed over the sticks to their rightful owner. The drummers had changed, but the music remained magical!

Later, my friend Ian made the comment to me that he had witnessed a transformation in my father during the exchange. We had been talking about people and their unique abilities not long before. During that conversation I loved his question to another friend, “Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out!”

Just like the drummer has a unique talent that stands out, yet still adds to the beauty of the band’s music, each one of us has something to give the world that only we can give. Discover what you love to do; make sure it makes you feel as if you want to flail your arms and tap your toes with joy every time you wake up in the morning. When find it, you’ll know you’re ready to take your place in the band and make beautiful music. The music of the universe needs you! Please take your stool and start to play!

“I need to simplify my life. I just have too much to do between my job, my daughter and this house.”

- Cynthia LaRoche

It’s Simply a Great Life

This week has been a lesson in simplification for me. It started as I drove with my friend Jonathan Cohen to a meeting. During our drive, we talked about our families and how they were doing. He has a great family and it is the center of his life. Perhaps the capstone of our conversation was when he told me how lucky he is to be able to count on his immediate and extended family for the support he needs in life.

There are lots of demands on our lives these days and I think most of us are feeling a little worn out by everything we have to do. I know from talking with Jonathan that he’s grateful for the closeness of his family and how much strength they provide him in every area of his life.
“I look around me and I can’t believe how lucky I am to have a father who is so close to me,” Jonathan said. His mother passed away when his was about twenty and it turned into a great opportunity for him to really get to know his father. That friendship has continued to grow as they have entered into new phases of life.

All of us will go through differing phases as we move into the future, so it’s important for us to keep our eye on what is of the highest importance. My friend Cynthia LaRoche was describing this to me yesterday. She recently adopted her young daughter and it has allowed her to explore a fresh take on her life. “Now that we have Brittany, I need to simplify my life,” she told me.

It was great to sit in the middle of Cynthia’s life for just a few minutes. There we were, surrounded by the things of importance; a black cat that jumped up on the table in front of me and swooshed his tale across my nose; a chocolate lab who stuck his nose up toward that same table, just hoping to have a taste of pizza, and then there was Brittany, sliding along the wooden floor perched on top of two enormous, round plastic disks. When her friend asked her, “What are those,” Brittany simply exclaimed, “They’re my shoes!”

To one less experienced, this may have looked as if it were life on the edge of chaos. But to me, it was most decidedly life on the edge of heaven. And, Cynthia’s eyes agreed as they scanned the whole thing while expressing a sense of satisfaction at her good fortune to be swimming in the middle of her treasures.

Fortune: “Life’s ups and downs – chance happenings throughout life that may turn out well or badly.” I think not! Both Jonathan and Cynthia have made the choice to create their life surrounded by friends and family. They know what the most significant things are in their lives. They know what elements make a great life and they have embraced them fully.

When such a choice is made it becomes easy to be selective when it relates to other things that compete for time. So, if you’re feeling a little worn right now, I invite you to take just a few minutes and identify the important things in your life.

If you are having a hard time doing so, let me tell you of a conversation I had with another friend this week. Her house had recently burned down, so I carefully expressed my consolation along with my sincere desire that she and her family are doing well. Knowing her as I do, I wasn’t surprised by her answer.

“I don’t think we will ever know the reason our house burned down. But, it doesn’t matter. Everyone in my family is well! The rest is just stuff. As long as we have each other, everything is all right.”

That tells it all! Having a great life is as simple as living centered in the things that have life; family and friends. These will never go away if you stay focused on them. Sure, there will be changes and challenges. But, nothing can stop you from giving the love needed to accomplish this. Pull your loved ones in and hold them tightly. The rest is “just stuff!”

“Life is confusing. Just when we think it’s all over, it throws a view like this at us. And, we don’t even know where we are.”
- Evie

Finding Humility with Faith

My friend Evie spent some time with me talking about some of the difficulties she’s currently facing. She’s been battling a host of problems covering almost every aspect of her life; financial, she has been divorced three times and her career is in its twilight; physical, she’s in her late seventies, and is losing her strength; social, she has no family left and rarely gets a chance to spend much time with any other people; spiritual, she gave up her religious affiliations years ago because the environment at her church was too “stifling.” In short, she was in the midst of the largest test of her life.

We sat looking out across a large valley during the evening as we talked. As I listened, the sun began to retreat toward the western mountains, the blue sky began to erupt into brilliant pinks and purples, and the night was about to pounce when Evie exclaimed, “Life is confusing. Just when we think it’s all over, it throws a view like this at us. And, we don’t even know where we are.” We had walked far enough off the trail that we really didn’t know exactly where we were!
It was amazing for me to see the change in Evie’s face as she received the view as a gift. Life’s trials seem determined to test each one of us to the point of personal recognition that we don’t have the power to deliver ourselves alone. It‘s during these times that we have no choice but to yield to humility.

Humility is a good thing to learn, but there are different types of humility. I can think of two types that are not productive or helpful to us. One type leads us to depression and despair. This is what Evie was struggling with. Another type leads us to bitterness. Again, this type of humility is not something that propels us into our brightest future.

My friend Mike Krause spoke with me Friday night about another type of humility. “You have to recognize that there are things outside of your control,” said he. “Yes, we all make mistakes, but things generally work out under normal circumstances. You have to be able to forgive yourself and know that the worst case is that you have the power to start over again; it’s darkest before the dawn.” This is the humility of faith.

Humility with faith delivers power to recognize that you can’t control everything and at the same time it sets us free to get up in strength so we can go out into the world to create a our dazzling future. Why do some people develop humility with faith when others are doomed to live in depression or bitterness? Where does one see an example of this type of humility?

I think we see natural wonders of humility with faith all around us daily. It is the morning sun bursting open the new day. It is the sun streaming through the clouds after a tempest. It is the grass reaching through the ground toward the life giving sun after being frozen in the ground. It is the view of beauty my friend Evie saw and accepted during a dark period in her life.

Such patterns of deliverance proliferate all around us. They all point to the Law of Humility with Faith. Universal marvel s are available to those who look for and receive them. I invite you to take the time to map out two or three universal marvels and watch for them each day so you can be filled with joy and hope. These are the patterns I look for and love each day.

First, I watch the sun rise over the mountains to the east and I delight in the pink darts it shoots out as fireworks just before it lightens the western sky. Second, I can’t wait to see the brilliant colors announce the resting period of night as the sun sinks low in the evening. Third, during snowy days I am filled with warmth as I sit and watch the dance of snowflakes as they float toward rest. These seemingly small things are examples meaningful marvels that I count on each and every day. They fill my soul with hope and solace.

I invite you to identify meaningful universal patterns such as these for yourself. If you will just take a few moments and think about times where you have felt such joy and peace your daily marvel will act as an anchor of Humility with Faith. It’s a big, awe-inspiring universe out there! Make sure you allow yourself to be thrilled by it each and every day!