what is the different drummer soundtrack? 

 
The Different Drummer Soundtrack is a name that just came to me one day.  Over the years, though, it has grown on me.

For those who are not familiar with the literary reference, "The Different Drummer" comes from a quote in Walden by Henry David Thoreau. He said, "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away."  

I am a "different drummer" in many ways--in my choice of lifestyle, in my choice of religion, and the way that I tend to question everything.  As for the "soundtrack," well, music has been part of my life since an early age, and I DJ a little bit as a hobby.  But the "soundtrack" in this title also refers to my story, and I am sharing some of it with you.

So what is The Different Drummer Soundtrack?  It is first and foremost, a prayer.

I see a prayer as being more than just something that is said at morning, at bedtime, or at a church, or rote-memorized.  Baha'u'llah, the founder of the Baha'i Faith, said that one's whole life should be a prayer, that work done in the right spirit is worship.  And so that's where I start.

When I pray to God, I check in and talk about how I'm doing, how my day went, what I want, what I dream of, what makes me laugh, what bothers, me, what I fear, where I'm struggling, and what I'm learning.  I see this site being the same thing, with the exception that I'm letting you listen in on some of the conversation.

As such, The Different Drummer Soundtrack is about my life living in a co-op house, what that's like, and how I try to achieve my dream of living in community and bringing it about all around me.  It's about living simply and feeling rich with less.  It is also my ever-evolving relationship with the Baha'i Faith and with God. The Different Drummer Soundtrack is also about life and the interesting little details of it, because I find myself awakening more and more to just how fascinating life can be when I live in the now, tuned in with what is surrounding me.  It's also about humor because I find again and again that God has an extremely funny sense of humor.

The God I worship is bigger than any religion or spiritual organization, and as such continually confounds human beings by walking through walls that they try to put around God.  I worship the Creator who created the sound of a bird's fluttering wings, the chorus of songbirds greeting the listener who awakens at dawn, the sound of rushing water, the shimmering blue hue of a lake when the sunlight hits it just right, the incredible views of the verdant hills of Wisconsin, and the desert-brush-dotted valleys and mountains of New Mexico, painted sunsets, the smell of wild summer herbs in an open field, bright colors, strange coincidences, tough lessons, unexpected blessings, and creative experiences I could not possibly have conjured in my own mind.

I started The Different Drummer Soundtrack in December 2005. In July 2008,  I overhauled it, changing the design and changing the name to A Colorburst Prayer.  But in July 2009, I overhauled it again, reviving The Different Drummer moniker, but keeping the word "Prayer" in the title. Finally, I returned to the original name on the blog's fourth anniversary in December 2009.  Sometimes the first or second idea is the best one.

In short, I want to put into The Different Drummer Soundtrack my highest hopes, my highest ideals, and my best concepts of beauty and creativity.  I hope you enjoy it.