And sometimes I just chop out

Several months ago I began drumming a little bit every morning, primarily as a way to establish a daily morning mindfulness practice that did NOT require me to sit still and go "ohmmm..."
Because I just can't.

Since then, I've made it a point to sit at home, or bring along a drum pad and sticks when I travel, and carve out a few minutes each morning to "drumitate".

I start slowly, single alternating strokes placed carefully in the center of the pad. I gradually speed up, staying relaxed and never letting tension come into my hands, writs or arms. After five full minutes of that, I'm ready to play around with some rudimental stuff I already know for another five to ten minutes. Then, I'll pull up something new I'm in the process of working up and trying to get into my hands. Finally, I'll go back to a familiar exercise and finish up with that, shake out my hands gently, and get on with my morning.

The whole thing takes about 20 minutes and it's a nice way to wake up.

Special shout-out to the nice folks at Marching Percussion 101 FB group for giving me new exercises, tips and inspiration.
Happy chopping, kids.