I started playing guitar at 13, after having been legally deaf up to the age of 11. I played heavily through high school, and in the military for a few years. I was able to spend a bit of time playing then, though not as much as I would have liked! After the military, I spent a couple years in college and was very active with the guitar. Played in a band for a while, and had a good time with it. But, after college, I focused more on career and other such adulting things. It became more of a hobby than a passion, for a good 10 or 15 years. As of about 14 years ago, I started getting more serious. I studied two or three courses, studied a lot of tab, learned scales, and learned a lot of covers. It was often rewarding, but being able to write my own music, proficiently, still alluded me. And, I knew it was because I did not have the knowledge I needed. The understanding of playing the guitar, the theory, is important. True, you can learn a lot ‘own your own’, but from experience I do not think you can do it without learning the basics of theory. I did manage to write some ideas, and was able to work with some other gifted individuals to write a few songs. A few years ago, I was in a car accident and suffered some minor injuries. Unfortunately, some of the so-called minor injuries was minor nerve damage. This effected my playing badly; it was like I was a beginner again. Chords were stiff and difficult to construct, my coordination was shot, my movements were slow and spastic. I could not even hold on to my pick any more, I could not feel it and could not tell sometimes if it was even in my hand. Leads were impossible. I considered selling it all off, and just putting it down. I decided to stick with it a while and hope it got better. The doctors said that the nerve damage could regenerate, so I pushed on hoping for recovery. It was frustrating, to say the least. After a few months I was at least able to play rhythm to a lot of songs, so that was something. I stuck with it, and after 2 years I had regained some nerve function, gained a bit of sensation back. It was enough, though I did retrain how I held and used a pick, the edge of my index finger and thumb on that hand is still a bit numb. But, I could function, as it were. Leads were not very good, and the sync between my hands and their overall dexterity and strength was still shot. I happened up on a great guitar course online, and that made a huge difference in my physical ability. They also had a theory course, which I took. That has been the single most important investment in my playing I have ever made. There was a course they offered that helped with physical playing ability also, and it gave me remarkable results and allowed me to retrain my problem areas. Thankfully, we are wonderfully made and our bodies can do some pretty amazing things. So, now, I am writing, improvising, and looking to projects that I am becoming involved with. It’s been a long haul, to say the least. But, the journey of a lifetime begins with a single step.