In October of 2018 my wife and I were present at a Smokey Robinson concert at the Genesee theater in Waukegan. I have received inspiration from Smokey Robinson songs for the entirety of my adult life. Smokey Robinson is a living legend, the songs he has written, and the performances he has given have…
I have no idea what to write. What do I/you want? (Che Vuoí?) That is the question. Do I know? Does anyone know? Usually I do not think about it. When I do, I realize how unsure I actually am, how torn, how tossed about by a confusion of inner voices. I offer a…
What is there to say this morning… It is zero degree Fahrenheit at 7AM. According to the forecast the rest of the week is to feature temps around zero. This is the Midwest, not a polar zone, so very little moves outside in these conditions. Exposure is dangerous. We misunderstand global warming. Weather extremes…
Yesterday was marked by two events. I initiated and finished cleaning the shower. The necessary and unpleasant biweekly chore was alleviated by my Spotify playlist of music. I use several small fans to ameliorate the noxious fumes of the cleaning agent which removes hard water residue. There’s no need to describe in further detail…
Yesterday I received report of my granddaughter’s visit to the physician. She is a toddler, walking about, exploring, and babbling. I sense that she is on the cusp of language. She understands simple commands and responds with appropriate behavior. She runs about her play area, with obvious excitement, laughing, to point out the…
Words cannot assay the loss of a great soul, an artist who has manifestly changed the world, doing his/her part to leave behind a quotient of light. All the more so in these dark days, days when so many are unsure what matters, or if anything at all matters. Mary Wilson, founding member of…
Why not start with a song? An incisive, no-nonsense attempt to grasp what matters… Patience by Guns N, Roses 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4 Shed a tear ’cause I’m missin’ youI’m still alright to smileGirl, I think about you every day nowWas a time when I wasn’t sureBut you set my mind at…
The following is a guest post by Tobin Fraley. I would like to thank this blog’s host, Jerry, for allowing me to usurp his daily offering by giving me an opportunity to discuss a song I feel is of particular consequence in today’s atmosphere of hatred, blame, and violence, violence both real and threatened….
Snow last night. It is well that snow imposes a stillness upon all activity. A still mind, like an unblemished surface of fresh snow is a gift. There is much in the course of human affairs, tortured and neurotic, — we are a troubled mammal unlike our cousins (rabbits, raccoons, etc.) without language or…
I remember as child, to have a day off from school, away from the obligation, from the mental work/stress of learning, (the profession of childhood) was a release that filled me with anticipation. The times have changed, as change is the given, — that up-welling of joy remains the same. Our two grand children,…
