A Landmark - I'm celebrating!! The importance of getting comfortable - share your simple pleasures

I have been learning to play the drums for around 20 years now, I have been giging in some capacity during that whole time albeit sporadically.
This weekend just passed, I played 3 gigs in 2 days, I'm sure others will have done so before, that is not what I am celebrating. What I am celebrating is the fact that I played not only my first ever gigs where I haven't felt as nervous as I have in the past. I also played every show without a dropped a stick, or a stick caught somewhere in the heat of the moment, as a result, making some sort of error be it minor and unnoticeable to most of the audience or a major one where you lose your stick in the back of the guitarists head!!
I didn't really think about it at the time but it was afterwards, I also realised it was the first time I had used my new set up in a live scenario, having recently switshed from my long suffering pearl export 5 piece to my saturn 6 piece. I also got to thinking how comfortable I was whilst playing, I have started using a rack, my bass drum is smaller and I was able to get a really great position with all my toms and cymbals sitting exactly where I wanted them.
I'm constantly learning and trying to develop, I'll never be the greatest drummer in the world but I am taking my new comfortable position and confidence level as a major victory in my battle against what I think is a genuinely hard skill not only to master but to even get to a level where you are competent of the basics. I always thought I was comfortable before but now that I am I realise I was not and it feels fantastic!! keeping hold of my sticks for over 3 hours felt great!!!

Congrats! I am still nervous as all get out playing live. Though it usually subsides quickly when I have to run over to the sound board to fix some things (most gigs I play I am running sound as well...).

My first ever gig I nearly sent half a stick into the bassists face....

Ady said:

I also played every show without a dropped a stick, or a stick caught somewhere in the heat of the moment, as a result, making some sort of error be it minor and unnoticeable to most of the audience or a major one where you lose your stick in the back of the guitarists head!

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You just jinxed yourself. You're setting yourself up for a show where everything goes wrong.

Just kidding. Congrats. There's nothing like being "in the zone".

A few years in and dreaming of that day should it ever come. Enjoy it!

Totally agree, perfect shows are once in a blue moon. Having said that, imperfect shows can also be worth celebrating, i remember playing a gig with a band as a guitarist, the drummer was celebrating his birthday, he slowly got the worse for wear and missed plenty of beats, or singer fell off stage and bass amp stopped working on and off all night, ended up doing e encores one of them with the singer being carried across the room by the crowd. Terrible gig but fantastic night made by people that on that night, just got it!