You gotta keep that brain limber hoss!
Use it or
lose it.
I met a very famous songwriter/producer named
Jerry not too long ago (when he was living here in Atlanta) and I was lucky enough to spend an afternoon at his home studio. He was so sharp and vibrant. Still gets up everyday and works harder than most people a third his age!
Best of all, he still creates and listens to music with
incredible passion. He's also witty, hilarious and quite profane. Chain smokes freaking filter-less cigarettes and has a beautiful wife a
lot younger than him.
Of course, he is filthy rich. I bet that helps a bit with the quality-of-life-living thang.
I truly felt like
I was the old man in his presence!
But he inspired me
immensely. If he can muster such wide eyed wonder and enthusiasm at his age, what the hell do I have to bitch and moan about? I'm only 48! I'm just
starting to grow up.
You have to have passion. I realize that life has a way of kicking the $hit out of you though. I also realize that I'm
very lucky that I do what I love for a living. Most people do not have that luxury. So I will work until I drop dead or can't. The idea of retiring sounds ludicrous to me. That would be death in my world!
It's getting harder to focus attention in a world that is becoming fast, shallow and overstimulating (in all the wrong ways).
Listening to music (really listening) is a luxury these days.
Learn to unwind and relax. Yoga, wine, herb, meditation, etc. Whatever works for you.
As much as I love material things, they are useless without friends, family and love. These things are essential to a healthy lifestyle.
And so is music, woodworking, cooking or whatever. I think the act of creation (whatever your "medium" may be) is divine.
And
always keep
reading and
learning.
I think the moment you stop learning is the moment your brain starts to atrophy.
