Hippies

Friday night I asked my brother-in-law if I could borrow the car. "I'm going to a hippie drumming circle." He didn't say anything. I promised to park around the corner so no one would recognize his car. I got the keys.

I drove way over to Forest Lawn to the Circles of Rhythm Community Drum Circle. I was there on the invitation of my classmate from massage school. I got there late, and the room was filled. There was a handful of people my age and a couple of kids, but the demographic was predominantly baby boomer. Aging hippies. A smiley lady in yellow pants stood in the middle giving enthusiastic instruction.

A few people on the big drums started first, with everyone else joining in once the rhythm was established. The first time we did it the beat kept getting progressively faster and faster. Yellow Pants said this was the "sound of technology", the modern habit of doing things faster and faster. A positive feedback system. After that we were able to maintain a consistent tempo.

I started banging on my drum with my hands, but they got really sore. I switched to drum sticks. There was a guy who played a whistle and a woman on a didgeridoo. In the center were some giant drums. People went up to circle around and beat on them. One woman passed the drum sticks on to me so I was obliged to take my turn in the middle. It wasn't that bad.

I try to do meditation and qigong at home, alone, in my room. I'm usually uncomfortable in group religious or new-age activities. I feel like a a fraud amidst the true believers. And I get irritated by any group pressure to act the same as everyone else. So I was surprised at my level of comfort at the drum circle. Even at the end when we had to stand and hold hands, each person sending one positive word out into the city. My word was "aware".

So that was my evening with old hippies. What I want to know is, where are all the young hippies?