One Piece at a Time

I grew up on the Everly Brothers, Roy Orbison, and the great Johnny Cash. From the time I was a bitty kid, I would sing “Bye, Bye, Love,” “Crying (over you)” and “Ring of Fire."(I still do.) But the best of them all was Johnny Cash. Johnny Cash was a hero in our house.

Recently I was lucky enough to tour the Johnny Cash Museum in Nashville!!!

Let me tell you a little bit about my tour.

First row, third person: JR Cash

In all of his pictures, even the childhood ones, he appeared to be a somber, serious person. When Johnny was growing up, he was called J.R. Cash.  As he got older, he was John.  Then he became Johnny Cash.

I was impressed and a little overwhelmed by all the stuff in his collection. What I liked most is that he was a writer. He wrote letters to friends and fans. He wrote love notes to his wives (he had two- but not at the same time!), and he wrote MUSIC. I mean he wrote a lot of music.

Those hand written pages pulled me in through the whole museum. I know I missed some other cool stuff because I spent all my time, nose-to-glass, reading his work.

Definition of 'caret', courtesy of Google Images

I really began to understand his genius because it seemed like the words must have just poured out of him- most of the creative works on display had very few crossed out/deleted words or sections – conversely, there were also very few caret insertions as well.

Photo by ME!

I took only one picture (to my deep regret) while in the museum. It is of a “Writing Exercise” from 1999. I love it because even great talents need to work at keeping the muse alive. It says: 

Dec. 8, 1999

I'm going to try to write now. I'm not sure I can, but I'm going to try. I'll write: Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country. I'm writing better now than I have in a quite awhile. See how I'm not skipping a line but am writing on every line. I'm much steadier than I've been in months.

A bit of the lyrics to One Piece at a Time, by
Johnny Cash

The song One Piece at a Time is a favorite of mine. It’s a silly fun song, the type Johnny Cash rarely did. It’s about an auto worker who steals parts from the factory over a twenty or so year period and builds his own car from all the parts he’s yanked over the years. I’ve linked a You Tube video of the song here.

Like Johnny Cash’s creative process, we all have to take it one piece at a time. Just one. I can do just one. You can do just one, too. Right? Then keep adding to that one. That’s how to get IT done. What ever your IT may be...

One piece at a time.

Rest in peace, Johnny Cash.

Until next time,

Be Good to Yourself.

~Nadine

My Bucket List

A few years ago the movie Bucket List was released. In that movie two terminally ill men decide they needed to do some things they’ve always wanted to do before they “kicked the bucket”.  From that movie we got the now popular term “Bucket List”  

While trying to fulfill your bucket list may sound morbid, it’s really all about remembering to take being alive seriously.  And to NOT take life too seriously.  It’s about being cognizant and taking advantage of the joys our world can offer. It helps us to remember God’s grace is good and that health and time are gifts.

I’ve been lucky enough to have most of my professional bucket list items realized over the years, before bucket list was even a thing. With the help of my husband, I finished my college degree while raising our children. I became a teacher when I was older than the standard age of a first time teacher. I taught in the school district I deemed “the best” and was my target district- as the first (and final) assignment of my public school career.  I taught at a junior college (although not college students). I taught English as a Second Language and I now work at a public library.  Wow! Pretty impressive, if I do say so myself!

Just recently I returned from a trip that was a personal bucket list item for me, and I’ll get to that in a little bit.  First, I want to say that I had planned to write about this topic a couple of weeks ago, before my trip, but another event side tracked this topic. (See my post from January 13, 2016.)  This bit of information is important, because I KNOW that my before-the-trip- post would have been starkly different than this after-the-trip-post. Had I written about my trip being a bucket list item BEFORE the trip, it would have been a sparkly post. But. This is after the trip-- a post trip post, if you will.

What if something on your bucket list doesn’t live up to your expectations? Tim and I went to Key Largo with family and good friends. I’ve always wanted to go to the Florida Keys, especially Key West to walk past Hemmingway’s place. And while we had fun with our family and friends, the trip was a little disappointing because it was cold, rainy, and windy most of the time. We didn’t see or do most of what we had planned.  The weather reminded me of March in Iowa. That Damn Damp Cold we get here in early spring - it seeps into your bones. (Poor baby me. I got cold in Key Largo in February. BooHoo.)  Right. I agree.

But I'm thinking on a more philosophical level right now, so I’ll ask it again: What if something on your bucket list doesn’t live up to your expectations? 

Maybe you’re standards are too high?  Maybe you don’t always get what you want?  Maybe what you think you want is not what God wants.  Maybe weather happens.  I don’t know the answer to this question.

I do know that I’m typically a “glass half full” type of person, so even though I didn’t get to see and do all that I had anticipated, I do realize that I’m lucky to be able to take trips.  I don’t take that for granted.  I love seeing new places.  I’m glad we did have the few good hours of heat and sunlight that we did get, and I’m happy that my friends and family who traveled with us are all doing well.



Me.
 Wrapped up in towels and reading at the pool.
(The beach was too windy and cold.)

I doubt that I’ll ever get back to the Florida Keys, and that’s o.k.  I’ve been reminded that events are what you make them… And that Florida can get cold, even for and Iowa girl.

Until next time,

Be good to yourself.

~Nadine