journal

(repost from March 10, 2014)

A song I heard at a concert last night made a strong impression on me, and caused me to think plenty about my life, and what will matter when I get to the end of it. There are more than a few struggles I would change if I could, but as I listened to this song I also recalled moments that have stayed with me, that made my life rich and that I will remain proud of. Not the house we managed to get or what I could buy with the steady work I have had for so long, but the time we were camping in Wyoming, and I got my family up before dawn to see a Teton sunrise. I thought of driving my daughters up the road to Mt Evans in the dark of an early morning so they could see a comet across the thousands of stars. And there is the countless times they and I walked with our dogs along the river path, beneath the cottonwoods and back home.

What also came to mind is all the wonders I witnessed in the high mountains with Ben at my side.

It was my favorite of the night at Tracy Grammer's Swallow Hill Concert. This is a new song written less than a month ago in memory of her Father. See if you like it as much as I did:

Lyrics, A Good Life by Tracy Grammar:

lyrics

twenty years old, just a fitful young man with a fire in my eye, liked a drink in my hand kissed a pretty young girl, got a gold wedding band and a baby on the way that we didn't quite plan and oh –

headed out west and i ran a little hot and the drink in my hand, well, it didn’t cool me off it was right about the time my kid was sixteen i was scaring everybody, i got so bitter and mean and oh –

but i used to dream of a little rowin’ boat it’d be me and the dog and we’d fish and we’d float and we’d live in one-level ranch with toads ’round the pond and doves in the branches and oh, what a good life

sick of my scheming and costly mistakes i was losing my business, i was burning up the brakes i got sober as a mountain and my river turned cool i’d make it up to you, mama, but you’re leavin’ this fool, and oh –

’cause i used to dream we’d be gettin’ up at dawn we’d have chickens in the pen and some goats on the lawn and big trees and worms in the pail my heart on my sleeve, yeah, my love wouldn’t fail in my good life, in my good life

well, i’m sixty-five now and they tell me i’m sick this pain in my belly, it is the reckoning stick, so i call up my daughter and we cry ourselves clear it’s forgiveness and grace and i wish you were here, y’know –

last time we talked i was coming undone ’bout a sweet summer peach that tastes just like the sun with the juice from that fruit dripping all down my face there is only this moment, only this place:

and the dream of a little rowin’ boat it’d be me and the dog and we'd fish and we’d float and we’d live in one-level ranch with toads ’round the pond and doves in the branches and oh, yeah, what a good life what a good life what a good life

let it all go now and wipe it all clean ain’t no time for regret in the great in-between it was a hell of a ride and i wish i had known you can worry, you can wander, but we’re all just goin’ home

i’ve had a good life i’ve had a good life i’ve had a good life

-- doylestown, pennsylvania

(Maximize the video and turn on sound to see the full effect)

snow-capped mountain peaks glowing softly in the light of dawn or dusk with a dark silhouette of hills in the foreground

Person wearing a dark jacket walking a black and white dog on a snowy path surrounded by snow-covered trees

Long-haired dog with brown, black, and white fur lying in the snow surrounded by dry grasses and trees

Two girls standing on large rocky terrain with a dog near them, windy conditions blowing their hair, and a backdrop of sunlit hills under a partly cloudy sky

Sunlit dirt path along a riverbank framed by tall trees with green leaves and grass

Two small white flowers with pink stamens and green leaves growing among dried pine needles and forest floor debris

A snowy forest path with leafless trees and two smaller images of a black and white dog, one showing the dog sitting in grass and the other being held up by a person in blue jeans

small red-orange leaf growing next to a gray tree trunk with scattered yellow and dark leaves on the ground

dark mountain silhouette against a dramatic sunset sky with vibrant orange and red clouds

Jagged mountain peaks with rocky terrain and patches of snow, with a small black and white dog standing on a grassy rocky ridge

Man wearing a baseball cap and white long-sleeve shirt kneeling on a dirt path beside a black and white dog, surrounded by tall grass and trees

Two black and white dogs looking at the camera, and a black and white dog jumping over a rock in a forested outdoor area

“Wherever you go, go with all your heart"