A Life Summarized

Kyle gained a passion for music at a young age. He started playing guitar when he was seven, and practiced every day. He started writing his own songs this instant he had the proficiency to meaningfully experiment and play with intention. He began to learn piano and drums when he was 10. At 12 he started teaching his friends to play music so that they could form a band.

Kyle's family was lower-middle class. They weren't impoverished, but they were far from comfortable. Kyle never had an allowance, and was only given spending money by his parents on special occasions. Nearly all of it was saved up to buy musical equipment.

When Kyle was 17, he finally had a band that was considered "actually" good by most people that heard them. Band practice was his favorite part of the week. They won their school talent show handily. They were a big hit at the county fair. Kyle loved every moment of every performance. They never made any money since their only opportunities to play as minors in a small town were benefit gigs, but they didn't care.

Then they got an offer to play a house show in the college town nearby. Kyle and his band were excited just to receive the offer and to play for a new audience. They played in the opening slot before two other bands of college students. They played their hearts out, had the time of their lives and made several new friends.

At the end of the night, the host of the show took Kyle aside and handed him a small wad of cash totaling. "Your cut. Every band gets a third of the cover charge."

Kyle looked down and stared at the money in his hand. He felt the roughness of the faded green $20 bill on the outside of the wad. He unfolded the cash, unleashing a waft of musty, metallic paper smells. He slid the bills from one hand to the other, one at a time. $20, $40, $60, $70, $80, $90, $100, $110, $120, $130, $140, $145, $150, $155, $160, $165, $170, $175. He counted again. One hundred seventy five dollars. For a 40-minute set. That's well over $200 per hour. He didn't know anyone that made that wage. He didn't know many people that made over a tenth of that rate. With this much alone, he could buy three new effects pedals. Or one premium pedal. He could trade in his drum hardware for a new set. In just one more show he could buy an audio interface and record an album.

Kyle folded the money back up, slid it into his pocket and turned to head back toward the diminishing party. He saw his bandmates. They were packing up gear to be loaded into the car. His hand was still in his pocket. He felt the crinkling of the paper under his fingers. 175/4. They had agreed to share the cost of gas. Kyle had bought a more protective guitar case for this show. He considered how much money he had spent on gear over the last 10 years. How he had given up taking a part-time job so he could focus on music. How he never had money to catch a movie with his friends or take invite his crush out for pizza.

Kyle continued to think as he split the $175 with his band. He continued thinking all the way home.

Kyle got a job the next summer. He changed his post-graduation plans from entering college as a music major to getting a real estate license. He never played in another band.

During his 20s, Kyle started to live comfortably. In his 30s, he bought his parents the largest house they'd ever been in. By his 40s, he ensured that his kids could go to whatever college they wanted. In his 50s, he guaranteed their children could too. During his 60s, he decided to retire in luxury. Once Kyle hit his 70s, he wished he had kept up his daily guitar practice routine.