Country Music

Dear Brian,

Raising you, it wasn't an actual goal that I set regarding the type of music that would appeal to you.  That you liked 70s and 80s hair bands was great!  .... well, maybe it's what you grew up on.  But country music also held an appeal, I know.  For me, the older I get, the more I feel like I need and want to get back to my "roots".  I grew up on country music - Johnny Cash, Tammy Wynette and George Jones, Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner - too many to name here, but the 60s and 70s stick in my mind.

A new comer to country music is Craig Morgan.  His 19 year old son died it a boating accident, and he wrote a beautiful song that really fits:

I've been beat up

I been pushed and shoved

But never ever really knocked down

Between mom and dad, Uncle Sam and friends

I somehow always pulled out

But the pain of this was more

Than I'd ever felt before, yeah I was broke

I cried and cried and cried

Until I passed out on the floor

Then I prayed and prayed and prayed

Till I thought I couldn't pray anymore

And minute by minute, day by day

My God, He gave me hope

I know my boy ain't here but he ain't gone

In the mornings I wake up, pet the dog, head to the kitchen

Pour a cup of wake-me-up and try to rouse up some ambition

Go outside, sit by myself but I ain't alone

See, I've got the Father, my son, and the Holy Ghost

I hope, I love, I pray, I cry

I heal a little more each day inside

I won't completely heal till I go home

In the mornings I wake up, pet the dog, head to the kitchen

Pour a cup of wake-me-up and try to rouse up some ambition

Go outside, sit by myself but I ain't alone

I've got the Father, my son, and the Holy Ghost

One day I'll wake up and I'll be home

With the Father, my son, and the Holy Ghost

When I'm here at home, I can feel you
Sometimes I turn and expect to find you there
Other times I find myself telling you to "c'mere"
and give me a hand.
How I miss you.
For some reason, even more today.

One day, I'll wake up and be home.
With you.

Love,
Mom

Planet Fitness

I'm a member of Planet Fitness.  I chose this gym because it's 2 minutes from work, I can dash over on my lunch hour to get a bit of cardio in.  Today, because I was done with work at 10am, I headed over to the gym and hopped on the treadmill.  I purposefully covered the digital display so I wouldn't be distracted with numbers, or more specifically ... how much time has gone? and is it enough time that I can stop?!!!   I set the parameters for 55 minutes and just let it go.  The first time I got the urge to check the time, I was past 30 minutes.

And that's where the I hit "the exercise high".  I felt like I could keep on going ... and going ... and going.    I added another 5 minutes to make it an even 60, and to make sure I got past the 3 mile mark.   The Beach Boys came over the headset and I cranked up the speed so that my running pace would match the beat of the music.

With a mix of 80s head bangin' stuff, to some country tunes, one of the last ones was Jason Aldean's "The Only Way I Know".   Really strikes a chord with me, because I was raised on country music and that's just how it's always been for me:

"That’s the only way I know

Don’t stop 'til everything’s gone

Straight ahead, never turn round

Don’t back up, don’t back down

Full throttle, wide open

You get tired and you don’t show it

Dig a little deeper when you think you can’t dig no more

That’s the only way I know"

And it spurred me on, finished it out at 65 minutes, 3.25 miles.
Then I hit the machines for some more leg work.
If work hadn't called and interrupted me, I might have done even more!


As I get older, I have come to find that losing weight is a very real struggle.  Because it is, about two weeks ago, I decided that weight loss wasn't going to be my thing, and put it out of my head.  I changed my thoughts toward staying healthy.  And amazingly enough, I've now lost 8 lbs in the past two weeks!   So was I stressing about it so much that I was hindering progress?  Don't know, don't care.  I just keep going so that I'll maintain some muscle, some balance, and some good health.

The Man in Black

I sat down, ready to relax before bed, flipped on the TV and booted up my Kindle, intent on finishing the book I've been reading.   But PBS was the last station I watched .... and there on my TV is the Man in Black -- and the Highwaymen!   Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson.  Ohhh boy was my day totally complete!    So much for reading, I'm totally watching this instead!

Yes, I know it's an old repeat, but who cares?!?

Ring of Fire
Me and Bobby McGee
Mammas Don't let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys
Folsum Prison Blues
Always on My Mind
.... damn, what great music!

The Highwaymen:  Frequently referred to as “the Mount Rushmore of country music,” The Highwaymen – Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristofferson – were American country music’s first bona fide supergroup, an epic quartet comprised of the outlaw country genre’s pioneering stars. An essential musical and cultural influence, the Grammy-winning group was active from 1985 – 1995.

Oh how I miss the music they made - thank goodness for PBS bringing back an old classic!

I saw Johnny Cash in the 90s, and it was the BEST concert I've ever been to.  He was the ultimate performer, but that's just my opinion.

His music is poignant, thought provoking, and moving.  Even his songs with a hint of humor are my favs, from "Boy Named Sue" to "One Piece at a Time".   On his album, American IV, he sings "In My Life", another one of my favs!  Take a moment, find a YouTube version and listen to some Johnny!  

on the Pontoon

Brand new country song just reached number one -- Pontoon ! 
Love listening to this at work.  It's like a three minute mini vacation in my head!

Its amazing how a song can evoke a feeling, a memory, take you from your current reality.  This one does it for me.  When I hear it, I can just feel myself out on a lake, floating along.  When I lived in Ohio, we'd head to Hueston Woods and rent a couple of canoes for a couple hours.  There's nothing like floating.  Maybe its something magical about being on the water. 

Have a listen, see where the song takes you: