No ragrets. Not one letter.
Good morning! It’s been a hot minute since I’ve been by. We haven’t been on the road a lot until recently, and I am not entirely sold on the fact that you want to hear about such riveting events like diaper changes and the metric tonnage of Goldfish crackers being dropped in the car, hence the lack of journal activity. I have been doing a bunch of fun video work lately, which has been keeping me busy with long days of shooting, longer days of cutting (editing for the non-hipsters), and then being Dad. So there it is. The past month. Well, that’s not all that has transpired, but updates will have to wait. And no, I am not getting hair plugs. I like my haircut budget of Mach 3 razors.
I don’t want to leave this life with anything on the table, and I do not want to live with regret. I try to live each day with the same enthusiasm and lust for life, although it’s not easy to be ‘up’ all the time. I sit here and think about living life as a younger man, without a family. Remember when your friend would call from the club at midnight, and you would go? I used to get calls from musician types at all hours of the night, with the voice on the other end saying ‘Hey man, we’re at ______’, and I would get dressed and be there in 15, then rock until 4 AM. Oh, the pre-baby times. I wouldn’t trade what I have for the world, however. But what makes us get out of bed and hang out? Not wanting to miss anything? For me, I enjoy hanging with friends, and since we only get one shot at this life, I don’t want to live with regret. ‘Oh crap, Sting showed up?’
I can count on one finger the amount of regrets I have. One is not buying Priceline stock when it was at $1.50/share. Another I felt bad about for a while, and fortunately had the chance to discuss it with the involved parties. A few years back, I was asked to be an extra in a major motion picture. I was going to have to drive to Michigan, and be in a scene with Jeff Daniels. I don’t know why I didn’t do it, but I passed. I sort of gnawed on that for a while, not thinking I would have a big break or anything, but just that I would have something fun to show the family. Fast forward years later, and we are doing an event where Jeff Daniels is the host. I knocked on his dressing room door, introduced myself, and told him my story. He laughed and said ‘Don’t sweat that one. You didn’t miss anything – it wasn’t a very good picture.’ So there. I guess it wasn’t such a big deal. Either was carrying the burden for so long. And not that I lost sleep, but there are times when we say ‘why didn’t I just do that?’ And that, my friends, is how life becomes more of a mystery. We live. We die. Everything in between can be wonderful, crazy, uncertain, and full of adventure – sometimes all at the same time – and all we have to do is take that step. Whatever that step may be. And remember that looking back is only important if you are towing a boat. Otherwise – it’s full steam ahead, with no regret.
FULL STEAM, CAPTAIN! That was the battle cry as the bus rolled out from Nashville, with our headlights pointed South. And East. I guess that would be called ‘Southeast’, however, saying ‘Southeast’, and one thinks of Macon, Georgia. Think further south, and further East. Like Boca Raton, FL. Sunshine, lots of extra money, and beautiful beaches. There are days I feel like I am constantly in motion. This was one of them, although the thought of a beach blanket and a Harold Robbins paperback sounded pretty good as well. The bus parked at the hotel, then I took a quick walk to the beach, breathed in the salt air for about 5 minutes, then caught an Uber to Sunrise to meet up with my friends at IK Multimedia and talk about all things musical, and maybe a few other stories. I returned to the venue, a sweet little joint called the Funky Biscuit, played through soundcheck and had dinner, then walked about a mile or so to the ocean and finally soaked my pasty-white feet in Atlantic blue. It’s amazing how life is instantly transformed when there is a current swirling around your toes. I found a friendly alien sitting in a spider web on the way back. He was awfully cute. I think he was smiling at me. Our show was packed, and a lot of fun – we have been mashing ‘Little Red Rodeo’ with ‘Little Red Corvette’, which has been a fun tribute. I think Prince songs should be played by every band every night for, well, damn near ever.
Florida, Day 2. OK – NOW is when I find myself in ‘regret’ mode. (But you JUST said DON’T live with regret!) We were in the Daytona Beach area, and I SHOULD have called my second cousin to come to the show, and when (if) she reads this, she will probably send a box of smelt to my house via ground UPS without refrigeration. Daytona Beach. We played at a fund-raising event for The Arni Foundation, a no-kill animal shelter. The venue is called the Broken Spoke, which is basically an open-air barn structure that can hold a few thousand people. One quarter of it was setup like an Etsy/Pinterest convention, the other for the general public. I did not win the silent auction for the SUP (big enough for a dog, too), but Smiley’s Biker Bar next door had some of the best food ever. New Local Spot. Beautiful and fun Florida night.
The last night of the run we were at a theater just outside of Jacksonville. If I could bottle up a day, yesterday would be it. Picture ‘by gum’ perfect: 75, sunny, light breeze. And did I mention there was this beautiful, Spanish-moss covered Southern Live Oak just begging me to enjoy. I took my tele outside and laid in the cool grass underneath this beast for a while, just strumming and soaking. I felt like I won the lottery. Other highlights of the day included great catering, a great workout, and a fine show.
So now we are home (or at least headed that way) on a beautiful Mother’s Day. I have to give a shout out to Mothers everywhere for bringing us into this world, nurturing us, teaching us, loving us, spanking us, and forever calling us their babies. My Mother, who has been through more than one woman should have to deal with is, at this moment, in Peru, fulfilling her ‘no regret’ list. Love that woman for her wanderlust.
My beautiful wife is an incredible Momma as well, and watching her with Henry warms my heart like nothing else on this planet. Happy Mother’s Day to her as well, and next year Henry can type his own damn note. I am a little tired of this ‘Oh, I’m only 19 months’ routine. Kidding folks. I ask time to slow down on a daily basis. Our little baby is a real boy, and his Momma is one of the best. I can’t wait to see them when these wheels stop rolling today.
So there is the recap of the week that was. I am hoping you are celebrating with your Mom, calling your Mom, or remembering your Mom in a special way. Enjoy this day, and every day, and try to live without regret. I know that’s a tall order, and no, you don’t have to get up in the club at 2AM to do so, but you do have to follow your heart, have fun, and remember we don’t get a second chance at this. Now turn off your computer and go sit under that tree.
See you on the road!
