Today I woke up 39 yrs of age. The beginning of the last year in my thirties. What!?
Where has time gone? Seems like just yesterday I was living in Chicago playing football with my childhood friends at Harrison park till the sun went down. I remember looking out the window of my childhood house and dreaming of someday being on TV, traveling the world, making music, being married and having a few kids. If you asked me 15 years ago where I think I'd be, I would have never imagined nor guessed being where I am right now.
There comes a moment when get a glimpse of our future thru the imagery our minds manifest from the desire created in our hearts. What we never see is the road it takes to get there. If we did, we probably wouldn't show up to our own story. I'm a city guy at heart, but have learned to love living in the south. I Lived in Miami for two years where I worked as a minister. Yeah, I was a full time man of the cloth...a worship leader. Good times I must say! That journey in itself deserves a separate blog entry.
I have now been in Nashville for over eight years. I love everything about this city. It has become home. Well, if it had an ocean I wouldn't be mad. I get the city and get the country, it's a perfect combo. Though these days I desire the country living even more, so I think the farm life is in my near future.
I married my high school sweetheart and was married for many years, unfortunately the marriage journey did not work out as I thought it would have. All things considered, we made some great memories, experienced some great life together and have three amazing boys to show for it. In this whole crazy life process we continue to be great friends, which is amazing. Such is life.
Co-single parenting isn't easy, but I've managed to hit a solid rhythm. It's all about roll'n with the punches and evolving where necessary.
At some point you need to make peace with yourself and the cards you've been handed. Could I have made better decisions, of course. But we can't dwell on could have's and should have's. We can't control everything that comes our way, but we can control how we choose to react to it moving forward. At 39 this is the best I have ever felt. Strongest, healthiest and with all the grey hair coming out I suppose wisest. I am looking forward to this new chapter as a man, father, friend and artist. Life is short and fragile, and you just never know when your name will be called. But all we can do is as Red (Morgan Freeman) said in the film, "Shawshank Redemption". "Get busy living, or get busy dying." Thirty nine years old... Exactly where I am supposed to be.
-js