Rhythm

Jeremy circa 1998. Drumming for Bastard People. Photo by Kevin Mix. 

My parents must have instilled some serious you-can-do-whatever-you-put-your-mind-to confidence in me so there's not a lot I don't think I can't do. But playing the drums is one of those things I just know I can't do. And Jeremy can. The boy has got some rhythm.

With that I would like to share an email my friend Dave sent me in response to my post on Balance vs. Alignment: 

"I wanted to share with you my metaphor(s) for juggling life. I have been playing drums since my single-digit years. Maybe as a result of that I tend to pay a lot of attention to rhythm. I believe rhythm is essential to our well-being. We start life to the rhythm of our mom's heartbeat and everything after that is measured in rhythms: minutes, hours, days, seasons...

I love jazz music. Even the freaky stuff of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, etc. One of the things that freaks people out about jazz is that it's sometimes difficult to tap your foot to it. People can't find the groove. That's life many times. In the midst of the constant rhythms, sometimes we can't tap our foot to the beat of our own lives. Hence we look for balance. Jazz is often played in polyrhythms and cross-rhythms -- one rhythm against another just as life is sometimes. It can be very disconcerting and discombobulating, but it can be (just like jazz) very beautiful.

So when you're finding your equilibrium by moving forward at a steady pace - arms stretched out wide, by all means move to the polyrhythms of your own song. No one around you will know whether you've found the groove or not."

I rely on Jeremy for his steady beat. And he looks to me for a little bit of jazz.