Welcome 2020

It's a New Year once again! 2020 how can that possibly be? The Y2K (2000) computer scare was just yesterday, wasn’t it? Impossible . . .

No matter who you are, what you do, where you go, or what you plan - time simply slips away. Don’t believe me, let's take stock in what you may or may not recollect, as a reader of this blog and count the years.

High School, remember those days? August of 1970, I became a freshman (50 years ago)!

Songs always make an impact, “So tonight I'm gonna party like it's nineteen ninety-nine," 1999 by Prince. That song was released September 24, 1982 (38 years ago). Or maybe for you, it was Stairway to Heaven, by Led Zeppelin (1971).

Greg LeMond is the only American to win Le Tour de France, in July 1986 (34 years ago). After moving to Los Angeles in 1985, I met my hero at Two Wheel Transit Authority in 1987.

Radio Shack launched the Tandy 1000 computer in November 1984. This was my first personal computer. A 7.16 MHz 8088 processor, dual floppy disk drive with a revolutionary 300 baud Modem, which I purchased used in 1989 (31 years ago).

On January 31, 2014 (6 years ago) I became a Free Agent after 27 years of loyal service to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).

And of course, we cannot forget August 16, 2016, my 60th birthday. The day we made the trip to Los Angeles where I received my new Fender Telecaster.

It’s going on four years now and I’m having the time of my life exploring, the world of music with my beautiful guitar . . .

You see, in my experience, to remain curious, active, and young at heart, life is about learning and teaching new skills. That reminds me, I need to get back to my YouTube video channel Guitar Gems (launched May 23, 2019). The emotional and physical rewards are simply undeniable. And if I might add practically unexplainable, but let’s try.

Lately, I’ve been reading on FaceBook a number of my high school classmates from the class of 1974 (46 years ago) are retiring. I can’t even believe that. What exactly does that mean - retirement?

Is retirement about doing what you’ve always dreamed of doing but we're afraid to try - or lacked the time? Or is it about walking away from a job that you’re tired of? Most would like to believe the former. Throughout my life, I’ve been an avid listener of many motivational speakers; Earl Nightingale, Zig Ziglar, Robert Schuller, all gone now.

Everything I’d listened to or read kept encouraging me. Dare to dream! 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; A Blues Scale, G Major Scale, or simply run the neck of the guitar over three octaves. Forward and backwards. Then it’s practicing the transition between chords, G, C, F, D, A, and E in time.

Little by little - by doing; trying out new riffs, practicing many different scales, and just doodling on the guitar I’m getting better. Every breakthrough an epiphany, simply magical.

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.

So as we move into this new decade, embrace your inner child. Go out and DO something different today. Learn a new skill, meet new people, play an instrument, volunteer at a foundation, work at what you love to do and you too will welcome in the New Year.

Happy New Year!

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