60 years of advice.

I will soon celebrate my sixtieth birthday.  (I know some of you reading this blog today have crossed over that threshold already, or are getting very close to it, so quit the smirking.  I celebrate my years.) As Joe Watson once said, “Age is just a number.” And I was never that good with math anyway. That’s right the big 6 0 is coming up. And in those six decades I have learned a thing or two about life and about this old rock we whirl around space on. So, today I am going to share some of those thoughts with you.

Rules:

Do it.  But in moderation. And don’t hurt anybody else when you are doing it.

Take care of the little guy and the less fortunate.

Make everyone your neighbor.

At the end of the day, like yourself. You’ve got no better friend.

Like what you do for a living. If you don’t…quit.

Be humble.  You might not always be right.

Likes:

Root beer

Ducati Monsters 

Long legs (preferably on a girl…but whatever turns you on…)

Lazy Sunday afternoons with a good book.

The Cubs

UT Football. (Those who may not know me well, that is not the Tennessee version, but rather the Texas version.)

Kentucky Bourbon           

Kentucky Basketball

The Alps

To Kill A Mockingbird

Confederacy of Dunces

Who Framed Roger Rabbit?            The film

The Shawshank Redemption     The film

Collings guitars

1956 Gibson Les Paul gold top (love those P-90’s)

In N Out Burger (#1 Animal Style)

Dislikes:

Door to door salesmen

Door to door evangelists

TV Evanglelists

Radio Evangelists (you get the idea…)

Fake Mexican food

War

Politicians who vote for war

People who can say no, but can’t say yes  (Can you say superfluous?)

The color purple.  (the color, not the book)

O.U.

The State of Arizona

Most Republican Politicians

The DOS operating system

Fox News

Trigonometry (never used it after the 11^th grade.)

Best Advice I ever got:

If you are going to drink and drive, make damn sure you have a car.

Best record:

(tie)

Mississippi Queen by Mountain

Wooden Ships by Crosby Stills and Nash

Best live concert:

Willie Nelson and the family.

Worst Recording:

Mississippi Queen by me. 

And that just goes to show you that if someone has made a masterpiece, don’t try to copy it.  Let it be. It is the reason I never wanted to be in a cover band.  Someone made hits out of all those songs for a reason.  And the main reason is that it wasn’t me trying to play them. Which is why in life, I try and constantly attempt to create something unique and new.  Something I can call my own.

So my advice to you

Go create something that is you. Plant a garden, write a song or a novel or a poem or cook a steak or shrimp in a way that becomes your signature.  Build a bike, refinish a car or a house or do whatever turns you own, but do it your way. Unless you are just starting out, throw away the recipe book.  It has already been done.

I’ve learned a lot more in 60 years.  But I’ve forgotten a lot of it.  But the thing I will leave with you is this: those people around you – the ones you call friends.  Keep them close. In the end, they and your family are all that truly matter. And if you’ve let one slip away…go find him or her and bring them back to the fold.

Peace!