By Scott Coner
Nashville Recording Artist, Songwriter, Performer, and Author
The
moments that come unannounced are usually the ones that we remember for the
rest of our lives. We all remember where we are on 9/11. We remember the day we
met that special someone. We may remember hearing grandma downstairs moving
around in the kitchen as she made breakfast. You remember your first kiss.
These special memories are what make life pretty special. I would hate to think
that I could ever fall so low as to question my own existence. All of our lives
matter. All of our memories are locked away for a reason.
Too
may of the friends I have had all of my life seem to have fallen into the trap
of “existing” rather than “living”. I don’t know what causes this bitterness.
But my theory is they have become hardened because life has dealt a few pretty
hard blows. I know life can be tough. Believe me, I have had plenty of dark
days in the full sun myself. But, it doesn’t make sense to re-live the bad any
more than it does to live in your best day from twenty years back. The past is
the past. I relish the good memories but I don’t dwell on my mistakes.
I sat
with my daughter the other day as we watched an old Charles Shultz cartoon
about Easter. I enjoy the purity of those times. As I sat there feeling ten
years old I wondered if any of my friends ever take time to watch Snoopy. Make
no mistake. I am a man, a husband and a father. I’m not trying to be a kid. But
I do like sharing parts of my childhood with my kids. I still like some of the
old television shows, the music, even the clothes from my old world. I still
like flying kites but don’t tell anybody.
Age
is just a number. We put too much emphasis on time and mirrors I think. We
shouldn’t get caught up in the age thing. Instead, we need to lose ourselves in
doing what we enjoy. We need to be around the ones we love. There are so many
things I do today that I have done most of my life. I take walks down along the
same creek I have been around my whole life. I notice tree’s that have always
been around. I walk nearly every night with my dogs in the middle of
nowhere. I still listen to music about
as loud as it will go. I’m probably half deaf, but I have no plans of changing
anything at all. I am older now, but I am still young on the inside. I am
hopefully wiser now, but I like to act foolishly whenever possible.
I
don’t think a lot about getting older. I try to take care of myself. I work out
a lot. I eat good food and get lots of rest. But, when I run into old friends I
sometimes feel awkward. Not because I’m not glad to see them. I just don’t
always know where I stand with people I suppose. I feel great. I enjoy almost
everything. But, I don’t like being around negative people. I think being negative
is nothing more than a mind set. We don’t have to be down in the dumps. God
gave us life. It is up to us to live it to it’s fullest. If something or
someone doesn’t align with my world then I try to avoid whatever it is. These
minutes that you and I have been given are ours to live as we see fit. We don’t
have to be bummed out all of the time. We can make a better choice. We can
improve ourselves, and our situation. But it all comes down to us.
Our
finest moments are the ones we pursue.
If we allow ourselves to fall into the day like a young colt, then we
will have a pretty good day. Like I said, I am bit older now. But I believe I
feel good because I have forgiven those that have wronged me. I have tried to
be the best version of myself. I love the ones in my small circle about as much
as they could ever be loved. I make it my job to laugh and joke as much as
possible. I am nobody special. I haven’t accomplished all that much as far as
the world is concerned. But I live well. I grab every minute of every day by
the throat. Not because I wish to defeat it. But, because I want to hold it
close as possible and never let go. When my spirit leaves this world, I hope
people will notice and care that I am gone. I hope they can know for sure that
I went to heaven. And, that while I was alive I truly did my best to seize
every minute and every occasion.
