Are there any activities or hobbies you’ve outgrown or lost interest in over time
Jet Pack Prompt – 2/9/26
“There are two ways to be happy: improve your reality, or lower your expectations.”
(Jodi Picoult)
I look back today with fond memories that I once strived to become an accomplished trombone musician in my formative years. Starting at age ten, I naturally found fun playing this strange looking instrument as I kept my hyperactive energies occupied by positioning my arm at seven positions along a slickly moveable slide. My musical mentors also taught me the magical “buzz” technique to obtain the desired tone quality on the trombone mouthpiece that I desired. It seemed inviting then that my horn sound was a convenient way for speaking to others without putting in the hard effort in face to face conversation at the time.
Aside from these technical aspects of playing my music this way, I became proficient enough on the trombone to become the 3rd ranked trombonist via the state of Florida’s All Star band selection and earned the distinguished John Philip Sousa Band award in my senior year of high school. Thereupon getting serious about pursuing music as a career, I further honed such ambitions by pursuing four hard years of study at the University of South Florida in its applied music program. During that time I also toured on the road as a performer for an extended time with an emerging rock band while composing and arranging music arrangements that would likely help me succeed as a professional in the music industry.
But as I neared college graduation, I suddenly began to lose interest in pursuit of my expected trombone future. Why was that? Let’s just say I didn’t feel the excitement that I originally had in striving for trombone excellence as the daily grind of “practice, practice, practice” for pressurized college recitals and concerts made mastery of my instrument a laborious chore rather than the fun that I’d intended it to be. Embracing a glamorous rock star image playing “gigs” for captive audiences on tour also didn’t seem to suit my somewhat inwardly shy nature.
So I’d discover that listening to music as a form of enjoyment suited me better than playing it as I increasingly thought of myself as an emerging well rounded-person of many interests and hobbies.This self transition definitely meant I was no longer hung up” on pressurized thoughts of being better than everyone as my trombone ambitions once called for. Even more so today, I’ve found more relaxing hobbies of a non- competitive nature such as reading, yoga and bike riding to better pass my time.
Snippets of a Traveling Mind 