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Keep Your Heart Young

Here's a list of things I never said as a kid (and I doubt any other kid has either):

"I can't wait to have a mountain of bills so I can struggle to pay them!"

"I hope I grow up to have a boss who treats me like crap and refuses to see my potential!"

"I hope I can work 80 hours a week to make someone else rich!"

"Playing is useless! I'd rather work all the time!"

"I hope I can grow up to be old and stressed out and have an ulcer!"

I heard a song on the radio today by a young singer named Brandi Carlile. It's called "Keep Your Heart Young" and I'd like to dedicate it to so many of my friends, colleagues, and contemporaries who have somehow managed to age themselves to the point of becoming crabby, stuffy old people! I don't know how y'all managed it but I do hope you can find a way to slow it down.

I don't really feel old...and at 46, I don't really think I am. I enjoy life. I worked for 25 years in a field that I loved. I've been paid to make music since I was 13. I get paid to write. What's not to love?

We all make our own choices. I decided at a very early age not to follow in my dad's footsteps. I saw him work 16-18 hour days, 7 days a week for years. He loved his work but you wouldn't know it to talk to him. He was always cranky. Who knows...maybe being away from work was what made him cranky. Regardless, I chose not to live that life.

I'd been told by my older relatives that if you love what you do, you'll never work a day. I liked that idea! I won't say I've ever made tons of money but I'm content. My bills are few, I have a nice house, a happy relationship and all in all, life is good.

I have younger friends, in their 20s, who often remark how young I act. How am I supposed to act? Like a cantankerous old geezer? I like to laugh. I enjoy the company of others. I love to create! How is any of that supposed to make a person act? If being happy is synonamous with acting "young" then I'm probably one of the youngest people on the planet!

My hair is turning gray. My eyesight sucks. I'm developing crow's feet and my eye's don't just have bags, they have full sets of luggage! But I don't see myself as old...even if I do joke about it...often. OK sure...I sound like the world's largest bowl of Rice Krispies when I first get out of bed in the morning...but that's the body. Like any mechanism, it starts to break down with use. And trust me, I've used it! My heart, soul and mind are still burning with the fire of youth. I've learned life's lessons and learned them well...and have even learned which ones to ignore!

To paraphrase Ms. Carlile, don't trade your dreams for a ball and chain.

Here's the song. I hope you like it. And if you think someone needs to hear it...share it with them. Then go have some fun! We'll all, hopefully, be OLD soon enough. No need to rush it.

Keep your heart young.


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