I'm selling my drumset

I'm selling my drumset. It's true. I keep repeating the phrase so that I'll believe it.

Oh yeah. And I quit my band.

The truth is, my priority in 2009 is you. Writing this blog and working on my book are my New Year's resolutions. It's what I need to do to fully heal.

So I quit my band, The Falsies, who I've played with for 3 1/2 years. And now I'm selling my drumset, the shiny black Tama Swingstar 5-piece set that I've wreaked havoc on for the past 8 years. I posted it on Craigslist and several dudes (of course they're guys, most drummers are) have already contacted me about it.

Here's the fascinating thing: drums don't depreciate in value. I bought the set in 2001, and now, 8 years later, I can sell it for nearly the same price. Drums are sturdy. They can take a beating. I've hit through heads, cracked a ride cymbal, scuffed off the black paint. And still, it continues to play as gorgeously as before.

So how did 5'2, 115 pound little 'ole me start playing? One word: Jordan. My brother played the drums, and I wanted to do everything he did. So I started playing at age 9. Now I'm 26. Do the math, and you'll see I've been playing for 17 years.

I know what you must be thinking: our poor parents. But they both loved it. Mom would sautée shrimp while I banged around cluelessly. "Dinner!" she'd call. "That sounded great!" she'd rave when I came up from the basement. She was our biggest fan.

I went beyond the basement. From the school band to private lessons, my love for drumming only grew when I started playing in bands with friends. My band in college brought a new level of recording CDs, playing at venues, and even going on an international tour (OK, it was the U.S and Canada, but still!).

Actually, my college band was what prompted my parents to buy me this drumset as a Hanukkah present. It was the last Hannukah present my mom ever bought me; she died that following August.

Aside from the "cool" factor, drumming has always been a physical and emotional outlet. Pounding on drums meant releasing pent-up emotions, communicating wordlessly, crying without tears, and proving women can do anything a man can.

Now, by selling my set, I am admitting that a part of an era of my life is over. I do hope I will buy another set and play with another band one day. But who knows?

Have you ever given up something you love in order to make room for something new? How did you cope? Did you ever pick up that hobby again?