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!