swirled inside and out and all over again. Wondering if the door was locked, as the clock hadn’t struck a quarter to ten P.M. That post card with a well crafted stated point of view was hidden away so well that it might never be found. Worried that there is nothing really handy, not even doing gardens or pulling weeds to prove one’s worthiness. No Vera, Chuck or Dave to reinvigorate affections. The question of being needed or fed was completed in the form that was filled out a lifetime ago. Is the answer ‘yes’ a true or false memory?
Uninspired, dried up and panicked Ernest only got to 62. One blast and it was over. Dad’s heart was shattered days before retirement eligibility but at least his spirit lives on. Each day this vessel makes it beyond those buoy markers becomes another victory. A few friends are like leaves from Neil’s maple…. some falling finished, some weak would be blown this way and that some still are brighter and greener than ever.
One of These Days - Neil Young
(Song appropriate - video inspirational)
“The cool kids become cool adults, ” the headlines read, as the distant cousin, a Jersey shore troubadour, revealed the map home thundering down the road of a land of hope and dreams through a city of ruins. (A celebration - a rock and roll revival sing-a-long.) Those once in charge considered playing music a frivolous childish exercise. Contemporary music has come with a warning label since it’s conception as the best example of irresponsible immaturity.
“No one over thirty years old who is in their right mind would be serious about popular music or poetry. Where is the responsibility to the family, or to yourself?” they said. “What about the real world?” they questioned.
“But it’s the music that brought and continues to deliver joy. Music soothes the pain. It is at the root of all experience. There is that proverbial individuated soundtrack to the journey and the set-list evolves day-to-day, year-to-year. The words in songs and the poetry crack open the window to the soul and the heart, and everything miraculously becomes clear “ the pilgrim called out.
Now that the second half is in full swing it is hoped that it’s not too late to tap into the flow and be precisely what God intended all along. It is not about fame or fortune but rather just being. Humble gratitude overflows the cup with the awareness of another breath and another beat of the heart. Well, you never know there might be a song or poem in all of this.
“Our tradition teaches us that sound is God. That is, musical sound and the musical experience are steps to the realization of the self. We view music as a kind of spiritual discipline that raises one’s inner being to divine peacefulness and bliss. We are taught that one of the fundamental goals a person works towards in his lifetime is knowledge of the true meaning of the universe - its unchanging, eternal essence…. The highest aim of our music is to reveal the essence of the universe it reflects, and the ragas are among the means by which this essence can be apprehended.”
- Ravi Shankar
“Poetry, music and dance are all expressions of a living God.”
- Rumi
“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”
** Gratitude Moments. 64.3.9, 64.3.27. and 64.3.29
A day was celebrated with number two at the Philadelphia Museum of Art getting our spirit tanks filled with each with the art of Van Gogh.  |
| Sunflowers- Van Gogh |
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| Philadelphia Museum of Art - Photo by Leigh |
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| Sound Check Party At Bruce Concert |
While on another evening it is reported that the first one and I were seen dancing in the darkness on the edge of town singing “We take care of our Own” with the Boss and the E-Streeters while connecting with the BFF and his crew.
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| Otis Redding ! |
Of course there is no coincidence that a new companion joined the clan bearing the name “Otis Redding.” Story has it that as a young pup he used to "sit on the dock of the bay” and thus the name. (And, his birthday being two days after his predecessor, Dylan, and 7 days before George Harrison’s ....and my own.)
amdg
