That Kind of Immersion

On my way to work this morning, I listened to an interview with Rush's Neil Peart on Morning Edition. I'm not a big Rush fan, but I have a son who is a drummer, so Peart is on my radar.

I thought of Justin when I heard this, "...when he does pick up the sticks today, you can still see the intensity on his face. In the documentary Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage, you can see the work of a craftsman in action. Peart says that his mom wonders why he doesn't smile, but jokes, "Mom, it's hard!"

Peart says, ""I tend to define it as grim determination, because it is very physical and painful," Peart says. "The exertion level is very much of an athlete level, so when I see myself, I see a stone face. But it is that kind of immersion." 

Justin has a look that he gets on his face when drumming that hasn't changed since he was two, drumming out rhythms with straws in church. There's a slight pursing of the lips, a certain look in his eye. I don't know, maybe he gets the same look when he's diving to keep a soccer ball out of the goal.

My friend from Ashland, Krista Christensen, had her essay, "Traction" published in Hippocampus magazine this month. The essay describes her husband in his element as a chef. She writes, "as he’s seizing the pan and swinging the food inside up and over onto itself, he’s maneuvering his mouth in a symbiotic grimace, in and out and in and out with the pan’s motions. These contortions are subconscious, like a child’s tongue protruding in concentration during shoe-tying or long division."

Her husband's grimace, Peart's intense look, and Justin's pursed lips--all images of complete engagement and focus. I wonder if I ever get that look.