The whispers started in junior high. What’s wrong with him? What does he have? Why does he walk funny? What’s his deal? What happened to him?
Well, let me take a few paragraphs to answer these questions:
He “has” a Bachelor of Music degree in education. He “has” a Master’s in Counseling, almost 30 years of teaching middle school music and band. He “has” a pretty good understanding of rhythm, melody and harmony. Did you know that Neapolitan 6 chords are really just drop 2’s? Did you know that the double chromatic approach works only over changes that move quickly? Did you know that the term “rhythm changes” actually means the chord changes to the classic Gershwin tune ‘I’ve Got Rhythm’? The chord sequence in that song is so widely used that musicians can say to one another…..just play rhythm changes in (pick a key) and people will understand what you mean. He has a firm grip on all 40 rudiments, a wonderful appreciation for the Rosanna shuffle, and the terrible technique of Buddy Rich. What happened FOR him? His life was changed when he saw Buddy Rich play live in March of 1985. He can still remember the show when he closes his eyes.
He “has” a passion for life, music, travel, good conversation, relaxing in the sun with a good book and he has driven across the United States twice. That happened for him, and to him.
He has a wonderful family, and a wife and two children that he loves more than anything in this world. He has an incredible support system of friends who might as well have nursing degrees as well as doctoral degrees for the amount of bullshit that spews from their brains and mouth when we all hang out and bond. He has followed them all into adventures that are only known to them.
He has amazing neighbors.
He has a career as a patient advocate, public speaker and writer. Topic: LIFE. He is an award winning teacher. He has forgotten more than he has remembered. He’s got a road map of Jupiter, a radar fix on the stars all along the highway.
He travels on the road to adventure, on a desert highway straight to the heart of the sun.
Like lovers and heroes, and the restless part of everyone. He’s mostly at home when he’s on the run. He has immortality, but only for a limited time.
He has a sharp wit, dark sense of humor and a constant running monologue that annoys people around him. He’s entertaining. He has faults, and a talent for making friends everywhere he goes. He has his childhood baseball card collection as well as hundreds of albums and compact discs. He has a kick-ass stereo system and 2 drum kits. He has an elevator in his house. He has his own brand. He has received standing ovations in front of thousands of people that he does not deserve. He has always hated the labels of hero and inspirational person. He has the same skills as you. He has all the choices and no choice at all. He has accepted the fact that changes aren’t permanent….but change is.
What’s his deal?
His “deal” is the same as everyone else’s who is breathing. Be kind, bring joy, repeat. That mantra is stolen from “Weird” Al Yankovic. His deal is respect, a desire to improve as a human being and to be remembered as someone who tried to leave the world better than he found it. His deal is brutal honesty that some others find offensive. His deal is full of false starts, statements that he wishes he could have back and words that are yet to come.
Here are some things that have “happened” to him and for him:
Marriage, friendship, love, loss, grief, respect, admiration, anger, sorrow, joy, elation, depression, sickness, health, flying in a 2-seater airplane, swimming in 3 different oceans, standing in 4 states at the same time, eating a dead grasshopper, drinking whiskey made in Israel, seeing the Southern Cross, staying up all night, eating great food, eating junk food, having great sex, having bad sex, having great ice cream, having bad ice cream, having more ice cream, having an afternoon totally alone in a bar in Tijuana. (That’s a great story…), having a Star Wars obsession, having a Beatles obsession, having great friends, having shitty friends who he thought were great, laughing so hard that he has cried and he has had 3 close calls with death (thus far).
He has also had a wonderful life, and a miserable day. He has sent texts that he regrets and he regrets not sending texts he should have sent. He has seen live sports in more than 30 stadiums, and has visited 38 states and multiple countries. He has been deep see fishing and snorkeling in the Florida Keys. He has been outside in a lightning storm and he has been high. He has been drunk and he has been sober, he has been confused and he has been schooled. He has learned that all you need is love. He has seen Haley’s Comet, and he has lived through brain numbing pain. He has found himself in places that he never thought he would see. He has been offended and he has offended. He has made a ton of mistakes and makes a few each day. He has aimed for a perfect performance, both in music and in speaking and has learned that he is hard on himself; the perfect performance is a farce and if he ever thinks he has achieved it, he has set his bar too low.
He has owned several cars, and has driven a full size U-Haul while towing a car and a cargo full of furniture. He has stolen and he has given back. He has a fear of heights, being buried alive and dying without telling people that he loves them. He has been misunderstood, and he has misunderstood. He has said “BABE” out loud at the wrong time. He has peed on the Green Monster at Fenway Park (that’s a wall). He has a bucket list that will never end.
In high school, he was “the kid that plays drums” or “the kid that walks funny.” In college he was “crazy legs.” He walked with a swinging gait and swung like a rusty gate. He was in his element in the 80’s and 90’s and he’s been out of his element since. Well, maybe not.
He has opinions that he keeps to himself and opinions that he shared freely. He has a love of seafood and he loathes mushrooms. He has a favorite color: green.
He has tried to make a difference in the lives of everyone that he meets and he tries to learn something from everyone and about everyone. He knows himself, and he wants to know you too. He has secrets that will bury people but he has loyalty and will never actually bury anyone as long as they keep paying him monthly. He makes jokes, such as the words in the previous sentence. He has not blackmailed anyone because he knows that he can be blackmailed also. He knows that might be a joke or it might not. He knows that you do not know, unless you know. You know?
He has worked in professions that help others his entire life, from mowing lawns, to running games at an amusement park, to teaching, coaching, counseling, and sharing these words with you. He knows that this essay may be used to describe him after his body leaves the Earth, so he has decided to end it like this:
He has learned to value the value of human relationships above all material things including money. He has what it takes to change the world. He has.
He has the same needs as everyone else: food, shelter, clothing, respect, love, and acceptance. He has written too many words and he has wondered if anyone reads to the end.
Oh yeah, he also has a muscle disease. There’s nothing “wrong with him.” This is how it is all supposed to be, because he has an understanding of the word ‘reality.’
Lastly, he has a fondness for saying “stay safe, stay awesome, and stay tuned.”
Special thanks to the words of Neil Peart, lyricist and drummer for Rush. Some readers will recognize that he borrowed some lyrics because he has a love of Neil’s words.
Moeschen! 