This has been a truly unusual month and year. It's probably one of the hottest Decembers on record, but the water is cold enough. Last weekend I surfed in a shorty, and it was enough. There were a few northerners out in the water without wetsuits, but it looked odd.
I injured my arm lifting dumbells too much, and am going on the 3rd week without weightlifting. I guess I thought I was unbreakable, and now I have a clicking forearm that sometimes hurts from just picking up a cup of coffee.
Music is going on, with Rock City averaging 2 gigs a month, which seems to be just often enough that I stay excited about being performance-ready. I have about the best gear setup I could ask for, and all that is left is for me to rehearse enough that I don't have to worry about remembering songs on stage.
If I can find a theme in my writing this year, it is 'be here now', and I'm really working on that. Sometimes there are these lulls, that make you think, hurry up and let's see what happens next. But, just like in music and writing, it is the quiet that prepares you for the exciting parts.
One thing I noticed by sitting quietly when I can, is that everybody really has something of their own to worry about. I tend to think that my problems are the biggest, I mean I know better, but the tendency seems to be that I think there is a simpler existence that most people get to enjoy. It's only when you stop and observe that you see the struggles going on, that you are to see the reality: the struggles are everywhere and constant. Once again today, as I was driving to work, I saw the old guy that looks like he belonged in the Civil War, hobbling down the street. I have jogged by him on the sidewalk, and up close I realized that he is probably my age. Somewhere nearby, he has a family and they worry about him, and they do their best to keep him safe while allowing him the freedom to live the life he can. This is interesting, because I used to just see some old homeless bum that had wandered into the street of my town....
