The Widetrack Chronicles 28: Bright Spots

The Widetrack Chronicles 28: Bright Spots

"Ceaseless change is an unreliable basis for lasting fulfillment. Realizing this, many people begin to wonder whether a deeper source of well-being exists. Is there a form of happiness beyond the mere repetition of pleasure and avoidance of pain? Is there a happiness that does not depend upon having one’s favorite foods available, or friends and loved ones within arm’s reach, or good books to read, or something to look forward to on the weekend? Is it possible to be happy *before* anything happens, before one’s desires are gratified, in spite of life’s difficulties, in the very midst of physical pain, old age, disease, and death?" -Sam Harris

My grandmother, Loma Darling Tippin, was such an inspiration to me... She endured so much heartache in her 92 years... Grew up during the Great Depression... Lost her brother and father before she turned 10... Lost her first-born son when he was 27...

Throughout the next few decades, she lost her siblings, her husband...

And then my dad when he was 57...

If anyone ever had a reason to give up on being positive, it was this woman...

And yet, life never broke her...

No matter how much she might be suffering, anytime I'd ask her how she was doing, she always replied, "Just dandy, Ron; the only way to be!"

She was my hero.

I think of her often... We were very close and had many conversations which taught me some vital lessons about living a good life...

Of course, she was just talking about her experiences, rarely "preaching"...

But her words have sure stuck with me...

My son never got to know my dad, but he had a wonderful bond with his Great-Grandma Tippin...

I will be eternally grateful that she was able to give him her love and influence...

She is deeply missed...

In recent times, I've been dealing with some personal crises and such, trying to ward off the demons that life can sometimes bring...

It seems that, just as soon as I start making some progress, something happens to derail everything, and I find myself set back all over again...

I've started to realize that maybe this is the way it might always be...

So, I have been focusing on the "bright spots" in my life and accepting things as they come, rather than how I "need" it to be in order to feel happy...

This is an extremely difficult thing for a person like myself to put into practice...

But I am trying...

Music has always been there for me...

No matter how bad things have ever gotten, it's been my rock (so to speak, lol)...

I've finally got three other people that I feel extremely excited about to play with...

One of them is my 13 year-old son who is absolutely killing it on the bass...

We're making significant progress on the making of the new album... The songs are turning out far better than we expected...

The progression continues, and I couldn't be more optimistic in this regard...

And then there's YOU... The people I've been connecting with through this musical adventure... which is equally what it's about for me, personally speaking...

To know that there are others who "get" a side of life I've always been drawn to...

I look around at this world and I see a lot of pain and wrongness...

Some days it can be really difficult to muster up the optimism needed to keep moving forward...

But the bright spots are there, one just needs to stay committed to seeking them out...

Wishing you happiness and laughter, my friends...

Always love hearing from you! Feel free to respond: Ron@widetrackmusic.com

And if you’d like to join our Facebook group, we’d love to have you:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Widetrackband/

The Widetrack Chronicles 28: Bright Spots

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