Guitars, Subarus ...

And punk rock? Sorry, Dwight Yoakam, things are a little different in subdivision land.

Anyway, I started playing guitar about 8 years ago, largely as a way to stay connected to my late brother Tom, an excellent guitar player, who passed away in 2009. Like Tom, I started this journey at Chicago's legendary Old Town School of Folk Music, where I learned the basics. Unlike Tom, who favored Gibsons (an early '60s Les Paul, a hollow body ES) and Taylor acoustics, I'm a Telecaster guy (as Bruce Springsteen might say) and I love my Ibanez Artwood acoustic – the first guitar I bought. And then there's my homage to the late, great Joe Strummer: a black special edition Fender Campfire acoustic that I bought myself for my birthday a few years ago.

And, while Tom played blues, classic rock, and country, I favor Springsteen and the Clash (though our mutual love of Tom Petty unites us forever).

The funny thing about playing guitar is, nobody tells you how much fun it is. It's a blast ... even if you're not very good at it. And I, unlike Tom, am not.

But I do love to play, even if it's only for a few minutes in the middle of day when I need a break. Banging out an easy tune like "Career Opportunities" or "London Calling" is the perfect way to reset my brain when I'm stressed out. (Oh, did I mention that I work from home? Yeah, that makes it a lot easier to take the occasional afternoon guitar break.)

Not that I don't admire guitar virtuosos – Vernon Reid and Tom Morello are among my favorites – but there's something really satisfying about mastering a straightforward 3- or 4-chord banger. Aside from the songs we worked on at Old Town School of Folk Music, the first song I taught myself to play was Springsteen's "The Promised Land" from Darkness on the Edge of Town, the album that launched my nearly 50 year obsession with the Boss. It's pretty simple, but that's what makes it great. Okay, so it has more than four chords – six, to be exact (G, C, Em, Am, D7, and D) – but they're easy to play and they sound so great together.

Fun fact: any song with G, C, Em, and D sounds great. That's one of the classic rock 'n roll chord progressions – think "Stand By Me," for example.

So, over the years I've figured out dozens of Springsteen songs (from "Thunder Road" to "Ghosts"), nearly as many Clash songs ("Garageland," "Tommy Gun," "Rudie Can't Fail," "Death or Glory," "Spanish Bombs," "Clampdown"), and a handful of songs by the Pogues, John Prine, Tom Petty, the Mavericks, Steve Earle, and, yes, even a Dwight Yoakam song or two.

Before I started playing guitar, I thought the point of playing an instrument was to play in front of an audience, or to write songs and make records. I thought you were supposed to play guitar for someone. When I began to play, I realized that it's okay – good, even – to play for yourself.

I have no illusions about my skills, though, like anything else, you get better with practice. But that's not why I do it. I play because playing itself is good for my brain and good for my heart. I play because of the way I feel when I play.

And because it's a hell of a lot of fun.

We're living in interesting times, as the old curse goes. So we have to find something that gives us joy. Even if it's only for a few minutes a day.