The Art of 'Yes' and 'No'

Apparently I’m “blog” challenged - unable to clearly define what my irregular communication is. Blog? Not topical enough. Journal? Not confessional enough.  
Arrogant assumption you might be interested in my randomly expressed distillation of my life and times and opinions? That’s probably the most accurate.
Okay then – here we go!

All those around me predicted that the departure of my daughter to Montreal to attend McGill would leave me in a puddle of despair and loneliness in the solitude of my home, unable to carry on. Au contraire. First of all, having spent 6 days in that remarkable city getting Julia settled, it was impossible to feel anything but sheer joy and excitement about her new life in Montreal and the experience in learning ahead for her. Secondly, the empty nest feels remarkably similar to the solo nest I had BF - before family. Days filled with unstructured creative time, the subconscious able to mull lyrics and melodies uninterrupted, lots of walks and LOTS of solitude. It’s a very familiar life to me, and easy to return to. As for Julia, she is indeed thriving in her University life, and there have been none of the tearful calls home predicted by those who know how close we are. She’s too busy with her life. We talk on the phone every day or two and thanks to i-chat, we can see one another as well. LOVE the Beatles poster above her bed!

So no excuse not to get that new album out now! In fact, I turned down a left field offer to replace a children’s performer on a promotional tour of the US for their TV show that would have been helpful for affording the aforementioned University education, but would have meant a lengthy detour from my determined course of finishing the writing and recording of the VERY belated CD. Saying “no” to opportunities is not my forte. In fact, I have said yes to many things over the years that have been dramatic changes of course in my career that have all turned out to be great experiences. But in this case, after a good 10 years of waiting for “my turn”, I just couldn’t forfeit it. I have not regretted my decision.

I did have a hasty “yes” seriously backfire recently when a friend asked me to offer words of support for his political campaign. He’s a friend, someone I think is well principled and will serve “the people” well, and I was in a mode of “just do it” when he asked, so I offered a quote. This was naively ignorant of the reality that my quote (edited) and photo would be distributed on a flyer to his large riding, which would of course align myself with his party – which is – gulp – Conservative! Although I can never accept a system that forces us to vote for the party rather than the system, it was an embarrassingly foolish and thoughtless “yes” on my part. I am such a Pollyanna. And SO in need of a publicist! I now have many friends on the “ask me first!” list. So for those of you in the riding who saw the flyer and were surprised, perhaps shocked, and maybe even horrified – indeed, my political and philosophical leanings would be far more accurately described as Left. My Good Judgement however, would have to be described as intermittently absent. It’s been an interesting exercise in the art of bearing humiliation, and an education in the unsavoury world of politics and media during election time. Let me be more blunt...I hate politics!
I'm gettin' a good song out of it though!

Back to what I SHOULD be doing - I have shows coming up with Barney Bentall and Tom Taylor in Alberta in early November, and UHF in January, and 'god willing, and the creek don’t rise', a new CD finished by then. And that’s the generic god, not the Christian Right Conservative Party god, okay????

So onward with MORE MUSIC! Whoo hoo!

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Happy Trails