Forgiveness, Mindfulness, Mistakes
SPREAD THE WORD
“Gossip is what no one claims to like, but everybody enjoys.” ~ Joseph Conrad Ah, gossip, there are endless quotes about it. Everyone has an opinion about it. And most people claim never to do it. Yet, almost all do, at one time or another. Some at more times than many others. Benjamin Franklin says, “ The only way to prevent three people from gossiping about the other is if two of them are dead. It’s one of those tricky… Read More
FAITH THE WONDER DRUG!
When I was drinking and using I spent a lot of time ‘scoring’. No, I don’t mean writing music for movies. I mean getting in touch with my dealer and getting the cocaine that had become a daily habit. That little chemistry experiment that lasted a quarter of a century. The high I’d experienced at the beginning of my using was long gone and I had reached the point in the eighties when the drug did little more than… Read More
Action, Hanging In There, Moving Forward, Patience
THE FROGS THEY ARE A LEAPING
There is a quote, attributed (as is often the case these days) to many people. The meta message is, at the start of each day swallow your big frogs first and then the rest of the day will hopefully be easy. Frogs in this case being your big issues, large tasks, most likely the things we would rather put off. Some days the tasks are small and manageable. They are normal for our world, our jobs, and our families. … Read More
Addictions, Mindfulness, Understanding
COMMUNICATION
Communication is really dependant on one question, “How focused are you on Principles?” Do you even know what a Principle is? The Principles I am talking about serve to define behavior and outcomes. In science, a principle would define the physical behavior of an element and how it works in the world. If the behavior is consistent and predictable a Principle can become a law, like the law of gravity. Scientist’s, like Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton, conjured up new… Read More
WINGS
About three years into my songwriting career I was given a unique opportunity. I was a contract writer at A & M records when Herb Alpert (the A) commissioned the brilliant French Composer Michel Colombier to write a symphonic piece. When Michel decided to add lyrics I was chosen to write them. It was an exciting and unexpected stroke of luck for an unknown kid from the sticks. It meant traveling to Paris to meet with Michel, hear his… Read More
THE NON-HABIT FORMING HOAX
Have you ever read the back of your over-the-counter medicine bottles or prescription medications and discovered the popular phrase “This is non-habit forming”. Sometimes it’s even in the commercials and advertisements of popular easy-fixes. I’ve been on a long quest for sleep. Most nights my eye-lids and I don’t speak to each other. The people at the Nyquil company must have received a great amount of requests to make a sleep-aid. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one sipping at the… Read More
IT’S THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS? NOT REALLY!
My Father was an alcoholic. Like me. The big difference being I knew I was a drunk and he denied it to the end. “I never missed a day of work in my life because of booze.” was his war cry of denial. And he didn’t. Not while he was alive. His drinking eventually killed him. Booze turned my father all sentimental and he’d get me up in the middle of the night to sing. His drinking partner was… Read More
PHARM FASHION
The controversy over the West Hollywood celebrity shop Kitson hawking sweatshirts that have prescription drug slogans splashed on them started a few weeks ago. When I read about it my response was, “this sucks big time”. But I didn’t want to rush to judgment so I thought I would ponder it for awhile, do some research, and see how I felt. After a week, I was still in the it “sucks big time” camp. But I wanted to weigh it… Read More
THE QUICK MISS
I’m almost a golfer. I love the game, always feel like I’m about to break thru to the next level and usually don’t. There are a couple of reasons my scores don’t improve and they’re mostly related to the amount of time I practice. Because I don’t. Schedules, travel, whatever the excuse is I just don’t spend much time on the range. But, I play when I can, take lessons and while my friends are hitting the ball 50… Read More
Bravery, Courage, Hanging In There, Patience
“FIND A WAY”
How much do we want something? Next question – how easily do we give up? How much effort do we put into it before we say – Hey, I tried, once, maybe twice, but it didn’t happen.” Then we move on. Often times we are still holding on to the dream, but not having the courage and perseverance to see it to conclusion. Dina Nyad’s record and groundbreaking swim from Cuba to the Florida Keys this weekend is… Read More