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Sometimes I get stuck.
This newsletter usually isn’t a heavy lift, but you caught me with an empty tank. At times like this, I gotta get away from the desk. Less thinking, more doing - ya know?
This calls for a good song. Something foundational. A reset.
I grab my headphones and a glass before stepping outside. The day is bright and hot - your standard Texas summer. There’s not much to see as I poke at Spotify and head for the tree line.
After shuffling through a few songs, nothing has clicked yet. And the trees are thicker than I remember. Climbing through the brush and bullshit seemed like a better idea in the air conditioning. And my left headphone isn’t working. The connection is sketchy. Cuts in and out when I walk. BUT, if I force my cheeks back towards my ears, the tension makes the connection solid and I can hear both sides…
I gotta pee.
Halfway done, I notice my audience. A deer, tense and unmoving. I think about what our situation looks like from it’s perspective, and burst out laughing. A middle aged bastard hanging brain with tired eyes and the forced smile of a lunatic.
The sun is nice. A little vitamin D and on the D. I wrap it up. The deer scampers off.
Still haven’t found the right song. This is too much effort. Gotta simplify. I search the music for “simple” and get Simple Man, by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Embracing the heat, I hang my old t-shirt in a tree and lean into the sun.
The whiskey is good.
The song is good.
Lyrics
Mama told me when I was young
"Come sit beside me, my only son
And listen closely to what I say
And if you do this it'll help you some sunny day"
"Oh, take your time, don't live too fast
Troubles will come and they will pass
You'll find a woman and you'll find love
And don't forget, son, there is someone up above"
"And be a simple kind of man
Oh, be something you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man
Oh, won't you do this for me, son, if you can"
"Forget your lust for the rich man's gold
All that you need is in your soul
And you can do this, oh baby, if you try
All that I want for you, my son, is to be satisfied"
"And be a simple kind of man
Oh, be something you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man
Oh, won't you do this for me, son, if you can"
Oh yes, I will
"Boy, don't you worry, you'll find yourself
Follow your heart and nothing else
And you can do this, oh baby, if you try
All that I want for you, my son, is to be satisfied"
"And be a simple kind of man
Oh, be something you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man
Oh, won't you do this for me, son, if you can"
Baby, be a simple, really simple man
Oh, be something you love and understand
Baby, be a simple, kind of simple man
That’ll do.
I aim to be simple enough for my people to love and understand.
But capable enough to navigate complexities of this world.
And you can't prove that I danced.
~ Magnificent Bastard
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