Practiced Fingers

You CAN teach an ole' dog new tricks.

It amazes me that I still hear the platitude, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”

Really? People continue to use it as excuse for not being able to successfully learn or even attempt a new skill to their satisfaction or expectation. Agreed, learning a new skill is challenging. Let’s be honest, it’s downright hard. Well, I’m here to say that learning a new skill is not a bag of tricks and humans are not dogs. It’s simply a discipline that’s driven by a “want to” passion.

It’s been over one year now and I’m having more fun than ever exploring the world of music with my Fender guitar . . .

You see, in my experience, to remain young at heart, curious, and active, life is about learning and teaching new skills. The emotional and physical rewards are simply undeniable. And if I might add practically unexplainable, but let’s try.

Almost daily I meet customers at Home Depot who say to me, “No one teaches you how to be retired, I find myself lost for something to do.” Why? Have they lost their childlike enthusiasm for curiosity? Don’t they realize that teaching yourself new skills throughout life is what life is all about?

Retirement is not about finding something to do, it’s about doing what you’ve always dreamed of doing but were afraid to try or lacked the time. Everything I’d listened to or read kept encouraging me; dare to dream to re-invent yourself go back to what you loved as a child. It’s never too late to learn something new. So, I did. Every morning I practice guitar. First it’s as simple as warming up your fingers; E Blues Scale, G Major Scale, or simply run the complete neck of the guitar over three octaves. Forwards and backwards. Then it’s practicing the transition between chords, F, G, D, C, and E in time.

I challenge you to try it sometime.

Little by little - by watching lessons on YouTube, trying out new blues riffs, strumming patterns, and playing (or should I say stumbling) through songs that have always moved me - melodic sounds began to ring from my guitar. Every breakthrough an epiphany almost magical.

Face the facts there comes a time when you, once again, like it or not, must adopt the *student mentality. Not because you’re expected to - because you have the desire to want to. No pressure, no grades, no criticism, no shit.

Granted it’s still early in my guitar learning curve. I can almost play something that resembles music. Last week I purchased my first music book with complete songs. Magically I’m working out the songs in that book. It's a challenge. I'm engaged. And it's loads of fun! I’ll need a few more months before I debut on stage with my Fender Stratocaster.

No tricks - just consistent practiced fingers, balanced with relaxed, enjoyable, daily practice.

*Student: One who studies, an attentive systematic participant. A person formally engaged in learning a new skill. The key word here is engaged. This means dedication to daily practice. No matter what skill you are trying to master.

Comments

Believing Is Seeing

🎄 In this episode, Believing Is Seeing . . . It's December, we bustle, we wrap, and we dash. We sort life into boxes— myths here, to-dos in a stash. We whisper of Santa (adult code: “Not Real”), but hold on one minute—let’s rethink this whole deal. For the stories we cherish, the movies we stream, hold more truth in their sparkle than we grown-ups may deem. So hop in this sleigh and hold on real tight— We’re chasing down Santa by the glow of his light! Scott Calvin once landed in the North Pole’s cold air, with elves, cocoa, and snow everywhere. He squinted and frowned—“This just cannot be so!” (Like thinking tangled lights will detangle if we blow .) Then Judy the Elf gave a cocoa so steaming, and said something simple . . . yet surprisingly gleaming: Seeing’s not believing—no, that’s not the key. "Believing is seeing!" Just trust, and you’ll see!” Kids don’t need a map or a satellite screen to know Santa’s workshop is her...

Stamps and Snow

In this episode, Stamps and Snow . . . You don’t usually walk into the local Post Office expecting a time warp . . . but here we are. All we wanted were stamps for this year's Christmas cards— yes, the old-fashioned paper ones that require licking, sticking, and hoping the Postal Service is feeling ambitious this week. But holiday errands have a talent for slowing you down, almost like the universe whispering, “Relax. You’re not getting out of this line any faster anyway.” So we waited. And while we waited, we talked (Are you surprised?). Because the Post Office is one of the few places where people still look up from their phones long enough to talk . . . Maybe it's because they're holding packages. It’s the modern town square: part civic duty, part free entertainment, part sociology experiment. The discussion began with holiday specials streaming on Netflix, Paramount+, and other services during this time of year. One gentleman who has lived in Vista since 1958 told us,...

Night Before Christmas

I n this episode, Night Before Christmas . . . (In the spirit of Edgar Albert Guest) I’ve wrestled with the tangled lights the way I always do— With just enough patience left to see the project through. I climb the ladder carefully; the years have taught me how. To take my time with every step and keep a steady brow. We hang the faded ornaments I’ve known since I was small, the chipped, the cracked, the tilted ones—I love them best of all. Santa’s lost a bit of paint, the stars’ leaning right, but oh, it casts a holy glow across the room tonight. The kitchen hums with activity, with laughter, and with cheer, as voices drift like echoes from a long-forgotten year. The floor is strewn with paper scraps, the clock is ticking slow, As Christmas finds its own sweet pace and sets our house aglow. The hallway grows a little still; the lights are dimmed, and low, Small shoes are lined in messy pairs to wait for morning’s snow. The fire's warm, the room is full, the world is deep and wide,...

Un-Work the Old-Fashioned Way

🎩 In this special episode. How to Un-Work the Old-Fashioned Way It’s 2026! Yes— this is the year! A different kind of start—you feel it right here? No lists! No demands! No fix-all-your-flaws! No “New You by Tuesday!” No rules! No laws! Those resolutions? Bah! Dusty and dry! We’ve tried fixing everything —so let’s ask why. Why rush and correct and improve and compare, When noticing quietly gets you right there ? So here’s a new project—no charts, no clocks, No boxes to check in your mental inbox. It’s bigger than busy and smaller than grand, It’s called Un-Working —now give me your hand! Un-Working’s not quitting or hiding away, It’s setting things down that shout “Hurry! Hey!” The hustle! The bustle! The faster-than-fast! The gotta-win-now or you’re stuck in the past! That’s the work of Un-Working— plop! —set it free! The titles! The labels! The “Look-At-Me!” The crown that kept sliding and pinching your head— You never looked comfy . . . let’s try this instead: Pick up a tel...

On The Fly

Search This Blog