I found the sweatshirt on Amazon. Didn’t order it, but will try the words on instead.
During a recent weekend trip to New Smyrna Beach I saw a guy wearing an interesting t-shirt.
More Music. More Love.
More Sunsets. More Kindness.
More Road Trips. More Hugs.
More Fun. More Peace.
More Wandering. More Art.
More Laughs. More Dreaming.
More Adventures. More Happiness.
More Concerts. More Smiles.
More Freedom. More Creativity.
More Movie Nights. More Life.
I can’t argue with a single word.
I didn’t see what the back of his shirt said but maybe it was a companion list of what he’d like to see less of.
That list could be endless. But that “more” list… well that’s kind of special. I can’t stop thinking about it.
Recently a friend told me about the four pillars of life: work, family, love and spirituality. Build all four pillars and you’ll find fulfillment.
I can’t argue with that. But I do think life is a journey not a destination and your work continues until you can work no more.
Anyway, I think I will keep the t shirt list nearby and use it as a guide.
Last week, as I perused the news I became momentarily overwhelmed: Ukraine, inflation, lawsuits , predictions of a depression in the 2030s and Russia getting some crazy weapon we don’t have an answer for yet. It can drag a person down. It can make you want to cut that t shirt up and chuck it all.
Not me. I’m not going down that path.
So I did when I usually do when I’m feeling on the brink, I hugged my wife and lost myself in some music.
“Late Night Willie Nelson” popped up in my Spotify feed. Yes! A brand new Willie album that features the amazing Norah Jones and Wynton Marsalis.
And I thought how lucky are we to be alive right now.
If it all ends tomorrow–and I don’t think it will– we will have been around to listen to The Beatles, we heard Joni Mitchell sing and listened to lyrics by Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Paul Simon.
We got to see Patrick Mahomes play QB, Roger Federer glide around a court and Michael Jordan soar through the air.
We got to go to the movies and watch Brando command the screen and we got to see the most perfect romantic comedy ever: “When Harry Met Sally.”
We see people cured of cancer who were once sentenced to die and we see foster children find permanent homes because of our own 4Kids of South Florida. I can go on and on. What a wonderful life.
The same day I saw the t shirt, I stood on a beach at night with my wife and her family. My family. I adore these people. I listened as my brother in law Paul pointed his phone toward the heavens and opened an app that told us what constellations we were looking at. I marveled.
Such a night. It’s such a night.
Sweet confusion under the moonlight.
As I write this I am listening to Willie Nelson sing Stardust. Friends, it doesn’t get better than this.
So let’s add more stargazing and more Willie to that t shirt list.
More gratitude too.
Reunions
Remembering our time in Oz while enjoying Elisabetta’s.
Recently, I reunited with three guys I went to college with at Suny Oswego.
I hadn’t seen two of the guys for 38 years—ever since we left the shores of Lake Ontario to embark on this mystery ride, we call life.
We managed to stay in touch via Facebook. I watched their lives unfold on social media. Birthdays, trips, graduations. It’s fun to keep tabs.
But seeing each other in person was special.
We met at Elisabetta’s on Atlantic Avenue, and we wore Oswego State baseball hats to mark the occasion.
The hats served as a calling card, and we had at least six people come to the table to present their SUNY bonafides. This one went to Cortland, another one went to Oneonta, and one had a friend who went to Oswego. It was fun to compare notes.
Seeing people after 38 years apart is an interesting experience. Last time, I saw Joe and David, their entire lives were ahead of them. Last time I saw Stu was 10-12 years ago when we met at Brule in Pineapple Grove for a beer.
I’m proud to report that everyone did well in life and love. They are successful professionals with happy marriages and kids who are doing very well. I found myself taking pride in these guys—I had seen them when they were young and wild. And we shared those stories, filling in details that one or more of us forgot. It was fun to relive those days—pre-cell phone, one computer on the floor of the dorm, when Prince, Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Bruce Springsteen ruled the radio.
We spent our nights at the Tavern and on Bridge Street and quite honestly, I don’t remember talking much about the future. We were living in the moment, careening from good time to good time. It was a special time in life.
Anyway, we vowed not to wait another 38 years to get together (the odds aren’t that good for us to make it) and I certainly encourage you to reconnect with old friends. It was a very memorable evening and I must say these guys loved the Avenue, which also made me feel good. I went home at 9:30. They were just getting started.
I like this phrase: “this mystery ride, we call life”. I think I’ll borrow it.
It’s all yours!
Doctor John. Can’t go wrong with those lyrics.
Bingo. What a great song.