Getting Older

 Last year, I reached another milestone in my life. I turned sixty.  They say sixty is the new 40, but I don’t think that’s true.  I make noises.  I didn’t make noises when I was forty.  I open the car door; I make a noise.  I get out of the car; I make a noise.  I sit down in the recliner: noise.  Get up from the recliner….you get the picture.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t feel old.  My mind is sharp and full of plans and dreams.   As a singer-songwriter, I still live with the thought that one day, one of my songs will be heard on the radio.  Probably won’t matter anyway.  Who still listens to music on the radio?  The dream is still there, though.  I play in a rock band.  Another dream I’ve always had.  Upon moving back home back in 2021 to help my siblings with our dying parents, my brother and I started a band.  We call it Brothers Futch.   He’s three years older than me.  He makes noises too.  We’re having a lot of fun in our band, but it’s a lot more work than we expected.  I won’t let a little work and knee pain get in the way.  Oh yeah, pain is one of those things that suddenly comes out of nowhere when you’re doing something you’ve done a million times before, but you turn sixty and your body says, “Hey, hold up…we ain’t doin’ that no mo”.   Suddenly you realize that just when you want to start slowing down, you gotta work more to keep yourself from getting too fat.  It’s a cruel game, this thing called life.  Everything you want is bad for you and everything that tastes like you know what, is what they tell you to eat.  Damn.  One thing is for sure, as you get older, you pay for the sins of your youth.  After jumping out of perfectly good airplanes in the Army when I was twenty something, I now get to live with the consequences (refer back to previously mentioned knee pain).  Some evenings as I look over our audience at a show, my mind will think, “look at all those old people out there”, then I realize that I am them.  They are me.  Then I wonder how people see me.  I certainly don’t feel how they look.  I guess the main lesson I’ve learned thus far is that I must live while there is life to be lived.  Every day is a step closer to that last one, so I must give it all I’ve got while there is still something left to give.  I’ve had a wonderful life thus far.  My beautiful wife and I have raised six wonderful children, I’ve lived all over the world, I’ve been a staff writer on music row in Nashville, I’ve played countless shows with so many friends and I have the best wife a man could ask for.  God has been good to me, but He’s not through with me yet.  I still have songs to write, shows to play and memories to make.   I have lot’s of life ahead of me and I’m going to live it like there’s no tomorrow.

Giving Up

I've determined that absolutely the easiest thing to do in life is to give up.  Why?  Glad you asked.  Giving up means you don't have to take responsibility for failure.  If you don't try, then how can you fail?  Life is hard enough, right?  Everyone fails.  Successful people fail.  Failure is just part of the human condition.  There are no perfect people walking this earth.  We all have issues in our life that help determine decisions we make.  Where would we be had Thomas Edison failed?  He did.  Many times, but he never gave up. We'd still be using candles had he taken the easy route. I wouldn't be typing on this computer looking at my screen that uses lights.  There are too many examples to list of those who've failed, but eventually succeeded.  Their tenacity and desire allowed them to succeed, profoundly impacting the rest of the human race.  I've heard it said that every great invention started with a thought in the head of one individual.  You can make a difference. It always starts with just a thought.  The difference between those who succeed and those who fail is the simple fact that those who succeed never give up.  It's okay to fail, as long as you learn from your failures and use what you've learned to succeed.  I think most successful people will tell you that the most enjoyable part of the process is the process itself.  There is joy in the destination, but the journey is what makes it sweet.  So, never give up.  If you fail, GET up.  Learn. Start over.  Your dreams are worth the effort.