Eyes grow weary seeking more.  The mind is anxious yearning knowledge.  The open sky offers new limits.  The lonely shadows find their places. The body accepts its place in time.

Why waste a sunset?

Eyes focus more intently with less light. The mind is more settled with fewer worries . The body is well rested with less motion. The air is freshest with less sound.

Why waste a sunrise?

My lawnmower and I have seen, as the “wise” folks used to say, many a day.  Beautiful and crisp 8 am spring mornings,  cool and calm 10 o’clock fall brunches, chilly winter afternoons for quickies and picture-perfect hot summer evenings.  I regret not wearing a step counter to see just how many miles we walked together.  But, since I did not accurately count my steps, and I tend to embellish a little, I’ll guesstimate that we covered hundreds (?😏) of miles…..And all it needed was a little gas, a little oil and a gentle push to get the job done. 

We’ve been together for years.  Hangin’ out in the garage when no one else dared to touch it. It was good company even though I longed for different, more leisurely wheeled companions to spend time with.  It never left me and always did what I asked.  Until this year…….

My lawnmower no longer runs.  It’ll start, but shuts off shortly thereafter.  But hey, don’t feel sorry for us.  We had a good run.  No need to offer suggestions or solutions as to how to “fix it”.  You see, my lawn mower KNOWS me.  It LOVES me.  It CARES about me.  It knew I wasn’t walking as fast as I used to.  It knew that I labored a little more when going uphill. It could sense that we were spending waaaay too much time together in the lawn. 

So, it broke up with me.  I was pissed off the first day I realized it.  Then it hit me.  My lawn mower let me go gracefully.  It did what I NEVER had the courage to do.

For the last couple of years I’ll admit that I flirted with newer, younger and prettier high maintenance models.  I did.  However, at my age and my budget I just wasn’t ready to see if “the grass was greener on the other side”. Pun intended.  I couldn’t let it go.

Now I have no choice.  My lawn mower set me free. Gave me its blessing.  I have to move on.  My lawn mower “knew my heart”.  And so it is.  I’m a free lawn owner looking for a new lawn care companion.  Do I go for a sleek, slim and trim self-propelled model? Or go all out and get a mature, stable smooth riding mower?  Man its good to have choices.  I just wonder how my wife is gonna feel about this…….

6:55 am. Earth. Sky. Sun. Moon. Air. Time. Space. Breath.

Alive.  Thankful.

Hello “real life corner” friends and family.  Been a minute.  I’ve been busy with life and haven’t had much creative energy as of late.  So, to help get the fire going I discretely “bought” a new toy.  Well, let’s say I’m leasing it first to see if I really like it. 

Presonus Sphere is a subscription based DAW (digital audio workstation) comprised of Studio One 5.2, Notation and all add ons (visit Presonus.com for details if you’re interested).  Seems cool.  I have an earlier version that sounds good and operates efficiently so I’m hopefully optimistic. 

Some day I’ll check out the sounds. Some day I’ll explore all of the features. Some day I’ll record some audio, maybe even record some vocals.  Some day……

I’ll keep you posted. 

Come on Spring………

Yes, finally! I have my corner of the world back. This is the space where “The Real Life Corner” started. Situated between the family room and the kitchen, it splits the difference between the TV and the fridge. A convenient place for a surgically repaired right knee and a jealeous left one.

A year ago this space became prime real estate for children out of school and a wife working from home. Consequently I found other places to think and write, namely my music room and the spare bedroom. Well, the music room was annexed by the children and the bedroom was claimed by the wife as “her” office. Oh, okay…..

It took a year but the transition is nearly complete. The bedroom is actually an office, OUR office. The long awaited desk is here. Her company issued equipment arrived so I get my “music laptop” back. Life is getting better.

Last year I asked for this as a Christmas gift on Day 19. Another late arrival, but thankful nonetheless.

Now, the question is how do I get my music room back? Maybe I’ll mention the garage as bait and see if amyone will want to move out there……..

At the start of the New Year I posted an article titled “Something New” in which I revealed my desire to fully embrace modern technology.  Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the wonder, capability and convenience of it, but I’m the kind of person that likes to get the most out things.  Couple that with the fact that I can adapt to my environment too comfortably (and a I don’t spend a lot of money on myself) and you soon realize that the “latest and greatest” usually is not a priority for me. 

However, over time a person’s priorities can change, or evolve so to speak.  Our daily lives are so dependent on and integrated with technology and artificial intelligence that we’d literally struggle to survive without it.

Which brings us to the Samsung Wireless Earbuds pictured above.  I would not have imagined that something so simple, so non essential, could impact my life so positively. 

January 8th is my birthday.  Around that time I was having dinner with my family and I casually (and sarcastically) reminded them of the gifts that I had not received for my birthday, one being a set of wireless ‘buds.  My son and his girlfriend were there and had a good laugh as I rattled off a long list of items that would “bring me into the 21st Century”.  Lo and behold, a couple of days ago they handed me my first set of wireless earbuds. 

Not being tethered to my phone has added time to my life. I can now simultaneously listen to music while getting other things done.  Walk away from my phone.   Eat. All good stuff.  One thing tbough. When lying down listening to music I get so comfortable without the wires that I easily fall asleep with earbuds in and phone on the floor. I’m startled out of my unintended nap by some random song or ad playing continuously. Hey, no one said adapting to modern technology was gonna be easy……

So there it is. Another step toward living on the “technology” edge. New wireless earbuds. My S10 Plus connecting to my JBL Charge. Thanks to my birthday angels I’ve achieved a new milestone. 2021 is off to a great start!

No place for dreams, or time it seems. Possessing objects once wanted.

Once needed, life conceded, denying the truth confronted.

Many places, open faces, heartless, soulless, growing.

Seek behind yourself, rewind, Unknown, and always knowing.

Ah snow.  Snow and I have a complicated relationship.  It’s been this way for some time going back to my childhood.  I’ve accepted Snow for what it is and even tried to like it, but for some reason or another we just cannot find common ground. 

When Snow and I first met we hit it off pretty good.  I was an adolescent, spending my winter days either in a school classroom or at home doing homework as I recall.  Snow was a blessing, a welcomed companion who provided days off from school.  A good friend indeed.  Snow days allowed all the community kids to enjoy sledding down “the hill” as opposed to staring out of their classroom windows.  At night we’d faux “ice skate” on the creek that ran behind some of the homes, too much fun to be had as this was usually a coed activity….Our parents often wondered how we could stay out so long and late without getting cold…….😉!

As well as being a good friend, Snow was a good motivator, at least for me.  When the forecast predicted Snow my peers would be ecstatic, happy for the anticipated time off from school and another day to put off homework.  I, for reasons I yet can explain, hated the predicted Snow.  I dreaded hearing it. I would do ALL of my homework just in case Snow decided not to show up.  I’d be ready either way. 

See what I mean?  I enjoyed Snow after it arrived but did not enjoy hearing its impending arrival.  You know, its like we had to alter our entire existence just because “Snow” said so.  Still rubs me the wrong way.  Furthermore, I love the Spring and every Snow day seemed to push Spring back accordingly.  This was not good for me mainly for two reasons: one, Spring gave me super powers.  Whatever I could do during the other seasons I could do three times as much during Spring.  If you don’t believe me just ask my parents who made me do three times as much work during Spring compared to the other seasons.  Reason two: GIRLS!  As a young boy there was NOTHING more beautiful or desirable than Spring time and seeing the lovely young ladies dressed in their Spring time finest.  And Snow was not gonna get in the way of that I didn’t care HOW many days we got off from school.  As a point of emphasis to show how much power the Spring gave me I’ll share this with you: my kids were born in January and February.  Do the math…….

As we’ve matured through the years Snow and I have developed a deeper understanding of our relationship.  I can now admit that Snow has a certain inner beauty, it is not just a  “convenient superficial friend who gives me things”.  And Snow has accepted me for who I am, a middle-aged man with specific expectations. 

Watching Snow fall is theraputic for me. Snow inspires me to be introspective, inspires me to write, inspires me to think. In return I give Snow its respect, I allow it to share my space, I don’t curse its’ existence.  Snow appreciates why I prefer a job that has a liberal leave policy, not one where I was deemed “essential” and therefore had to get to work early during a Snow fall.  Yes, we’ve come a long way Snow and I.

But, for the life of me I still cannot understand why Snow has to be so egocentric, so cold weather dependent.  Snow is also a media hog!  The arrogance! Such a diva! And when will it ever learn to clean up after itself?  Man I hate shoveling!

Snow and me.  Yea, it’s complicated….