Something to Do

By Paul Pakusch

As we get older, many of us start to find more time for ourselves. Family and work responsibilties become less and less There's a motto that's one of my favorites: "To have a good life, you need someone to love, someone to be loved by, something to do, something to look forward to, and a good BM every day." I'm intrigued by how much wisdom there is in that single sentence. Sure, there's humor, but who can argue the point of having a good BM every day? As for the rest of the motto, aren't we always in pursuit of a good, loving relationship? If you have that, then life is good. We all want something to do. Whether it's to indulge in a hobby, work a job, see a show or watch TV or a movie, listen to music, take a stroll or hang out with friends or loved ones, we're happiest when we are doing something. No one wants to be left in a sterile environment, staring at a blank wall. And we all look forward to something: "I can't wait for my vacation! I can't wait for Christmas! I can't wait for the weekend!" If we have nothing to look forward to, then we may as well be staring at a blank wall.

I love walking through an arts and crafts store to see the various raw materials that people use to form their own creations. People will spend many happy hours working on a painting, a pottery project, a knick knack, a doily, or a refrigerator door masterpiece. I don't think it's so much the final project that brings someone happiness, but the act of working on the project. When finished, many of these items will be given away to appreciating or unappreciating relatives, sold at an arts and crafts fair, or set on display in their own home. The point of these objects isn't the object iself; it's the hours of joy that go into creating these objects that matters.

This is what drumming is all about for me. I love picking up a pair of drum sticks and playing patterns that form drum beats and/or songs. Whether I'm playing by myself or with a group of other musicians, it feels like the organized sound we are creating is something tangible that you can almost hold. You can't actually hold it, of course, but you can move to it, groove to it, be emotionally attached to it, or become mesmerized by it. While I am playing, I "have something to do." I can drum for hours at a time and be perfectly happy. I am creating something; it is art. But as soon as I stop playing, it doesn't exist anymore. I can't give it to you or sell it to you. It can't be placed on a shelf for display or thrown into a landfill. It was never really tangible to begin with. But yet it is there.

Yet, it is art. It is subjective. Like a painting, you either like what I play or you don't like what I play. It takes many months and years of practice for me to be able to play the way I do. I have a goal to be even better than I am. I would never be satisfied creating the stick figures of a child for the rest of my life; I'd want to paint a masterpiece. I am never satisfied playing the basic drum beats I learned as a beginner; I constantly want to challenge myself and be a better drummer. It is a satisfaction that I bring to myself for doing it. It is even more fun to do with a group of other musicians. Together we are painting that masterpiece. When we finish playing, the masterpiece doesn't exist anymore. To live the good life I described in the motto, we must continually get together to paint yet another masterpiece, time and time again. We look forward to it.

And when we're done, we go off our separate ways to have a good BM. :-)