Walking away from it all

I guess this is a nastolgic post. I think sometimes about what I really want in life and why I want it. A good friend of mine works as a CFO for a large real estate development group in town. He is very successful, has a beautiful wife and two amazing kids. He has a nice house and travels all the time. But last month he walked away from it all. I have to admire my friend and what he said. He said that he just had enough, he was involved in everything and wanted to have everthing right and didn't trust anyone else to get it that way. He was burnt out at 29, imagine him at 50! He did what he thought he had to, he just walked away from it all. My admiration for him comes from his ability to say enough is enough. The next day he unquit but for him that was all it took, one day just saying enough was enough. He said that by demonstrating to himself that he could just walk away and be okay with it and the sun would rise the next day, was enough. He since then has cut down on the hours, hasn't taken it too serious and even better has dreams of a simpler life. He talks of owning some land, teaching school, farming in the summer and coaching football in the fall. Good for him... as he said to me "what's money anyway at the end of the day?"

I guess we all need to take a look at our lives and be okay with walking away from everything if it gets to be too much. If we're not in positions in our lives' to be able to do that and move to a simpler way of life... well, something needs to change. For me it's going to that country boy lifestyle. Walk away from it all but gain everything.

A country boy's best friend

It's a subject that I could write about forever. Think Marley and me. I came home from work today and my dog was right there, waiting for me with all the love in the world. There are many reasons why a dog is a country boy's best friend. I like to think that we both suffer from many of the same things. We don't like fences or borders, we roam and when we are on leash we become bored and start looking for the end of the walk. We are both fiercly loyal and are quick to accept someone new but never forget when you've hurt us or disrespected us. We both look forward to exploring and figuring things out but sometimes just know that if someone says it's bad at least we listen for a minute. We'll eat just about anything. We both love the outdoors and can't wait to chase after a big buck. We just want to please the ones we love. I think the biggest things that we have in common is we really do just live life and take it one day at a time. It's no wonder that we love each other so much and are best friends.

Hats off to Jimmie Johnson and NASCAR

#48 Took home the checkered flag on Sunday in Dover. Jimmie my boy won! Honestly, I'm not a big NASCAR fan but I challenge you to tell me what NASCAR stands for....? Stumped? I saw a special on Appalachian Americans and NASCAR was a big thing about it. It stands for National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. Basically back in the days of Prohibition some rowdy country boys that were transporting bootlegged moonshine souped up their cars and made them untouchable from the police. They were faster and responded better. Ultimately they were great drivers and passed other cars along the way down country roads. This lead to races being established between the best drivers and finally a true governing body was formed. So you can see how this sport has some deep roots in the country. Country boys have been driving fast and running from the law for a long time. Think the Dukes of Hazard but real. So on this day when Jimmie Johnson won, I thought I'd throw something out there that many country boys love.

Country culture around the world

One thing that has always appealed to me is the country life around the world. To me it's a way to really know a culture, get away from a city and see how the country boys do it. I've been watching the TV show Dhani Tackles the Globe on the Travel channel. (I'm streaming it on Netlix, season 2). It always seems that he steps away from the city to get into the country side to really experience the culture. In season 2 he went to Jamaica and went to the country to see where Bob Marley was born... and to really experience the Rastafarian culture in the country. I guess we country people are the ones who really carry the culture, wherever we are in the world.

Music Review: Zac Brown Band, You get what you give

I want to preface this with the fact that I love Zac Brown Band. I think they have such a unique/fun sound that is distinct to them. They combine traditional country with southern rock and a bit of the island fever. With that being said here we go: I was not disappointed but not too impressed either. On a scale of 1-10 I'd give it a 6.5 - 7. It's always hard for Sophmore albums to achieve the same accolades as the hit album. Some songs score higher and some lower. The overall feel that I got was that there are two or three good songs that catch you (like like Toes, or Chicken Fried) and make you want more. Others were just fillers. There is a distinct gospel feel to it which is fine, I enjoy it. You have to consider the band's Georgia roots and the fact that the majority of country listeners are Christians and it's fine. Thank goodness the band hasn't gone off the deep end like what seems like the majority of entertainers now days. Overall I will keep listening to it and hope that it grows on me more. If it does I'll come back and update my score. I've listened to the whole album 3x's through... maybe it's not enough.

Update: I have listened to the album a few more times and with like every good artist, the more you listen to them the better they get. ZBB has done a good job really embedding all of the songs with well thought out layers of composition. I have to say that I'm enjoying the music more and more. I'm going to give it an upgrade: 7.5-8/10.

Recreation

I think this is one of the most interesting subjects for everyone in general. What do we do to recreate? As a country boy I can think of a few things that serve as recreation to me but do they to everyone else? (See the Alan Jackson video here) For example, I love the mountains, I also love to glass the mountains for big game... my wife asks me what I'm doing and why I just sit and look at the mountains all the time. It's not that I'm just looking at the mountains but it's almost a game, I try and find the critters that have hunkered down on the hillsides. I know that this is probably not fun to everyone, in fact I know it's not but to me it's recreation.

Another quickly rising favorite of mine is working on cars. I got up early on Saturday morning to change the breaks in my wife's car... that was fun to me. I enjoy getting my hands dirty and accomplishing something. My brother in law on the other hand, would know a break pad from blinker fluid (that's a joke) and would rather pay someone to fix it for him.

The point is that we all need to find some things that are mental breaks for us in our daily lives. The science behind this is that as we go throughout the day doing the same thing we become less sensitive to the process whatever it is and eventually can fall into a lull that can either be depression or big mistakes. In Latin based languages the word most often used for recreation is diversion. This can mean fun, getting away, or literally diverting the mind. This brings up a valid point, it is all about diverting the mind to something that is in enjoyable and recharges the batteries so to speak.

Here are a couple of tried and true methods that country boys have been using for decades to make sure they have a little fun once in a while and recreate:

Have a recurring weekly activity planned. This can be anything from basketball in the mornings or evenings with some buddies and a local church or fishing with your kids after work during the week. This gives you the chance to have something to look forward to throughout the week that's always going to be there. It's important to have this fall back in case everything else gets tied up.

Have three or four fall back activities that you can do at the drop of a hat. It's important to just do something sometime. When I lived in my home town we had some rope and a piece of plywood and we would drab it behind the truck on a dirt road. It was quick, easy, and really fun. Now days it's a quick hike in the hills behind my house, glassing for animals, or some yard work. Anything to just get your mind off of things.

My personal favorite, let yourself have some fun. I love America, I love what we stand for, I love how we don't quit till the job gets done (think beyond wars). I will say this though, we over work ourselves and under reward ourselves. In Italy, France, and other European countries they get at least a month off a year in vacation and take all of it and more (in no way am I suggesting we become more like them, that's too much if you ask me, but they are a happy people). We need to let ourselves relax a bit more and enjoy life. That's why we are here anyway to have joy and live our lives. So don't feel guilty if you aren't staying up late every night to get that last spreadsheet done or you have to finish a report, take some time to recreate.

The country way is work really hard till the job is done, then sit back and enjoy what you've done and celebrate... till the next big thing comes up.

Simplicity

My day job is investment banking. It's a mentally tough and grueling job but hopefully it pays the bills one day and pays them well. I can't say that I want to do it for the rest of my life though. This causes me to be near a city and in my case in the city. I have such mixed emotions about this. I am a sucker for simplicity. Whenever I go to the country or visit my home town, things just seem to make sense. No one is trying to make the next big thing hit or trying to reinvent the wheel, rather it's simple. There are intelligent people everywhere and the most intelligent to me are the ones who put a high value on simplicity. This can range from a business model to a car. Many people's lives in the city are filled with all kinds of distractions... what so and so on the corner is doing, what training or workshop to go to, where the kids are playing their next game, crime etc... you get the point. Country living is something that I long for and miss... it's simple, early to rise, the smell of the land, I love the smell of dirt. Getting some chores done, then doing your work, and enjoying your family. Sure we all have things in life but it just seems that people in the country put a premium on simplicity.

With that being said there are ways to make your life simple in the city. The first thing to do is really reevaluate and see what is really important in your life. I know from my life I have to do this quite often, it's easy to get sucked in and get so deep into your life that you lose perspective... again, take time to really see what's important and what is fluff.

Another big one for me is to stop watching so much TV! Talk about cluttering your life, I have enough stress of my own let alone trying to take on the stress of 20 other people's lives. I'm a sucker for sports but I've had to limit the weekends to a game a day during football season and only if the Red Sox are playing... it's tough but it really did simplify my life.

This next tip may be the most important, set a goal and don't let the other things in life creep in while you are trying to accomplish this. My brother has completely eliminated a lot of the fluff in his life just by setting a goal to play with his daughter an hour or two a day. Whatever else he may think is going on quickly melts away along with the stress from work. I'm amazed every time I see him do it... he has a goal and sticks to it. We should all have those goals, whether it's starting a new business or making our garden great, pick a simple goal that is relevant to you and your life and stick to it.

Ultimately a simple life can be achieved anywhere... it just tends to be a whole lot simpler in the country. Sift things out and I promise you'll be happier.

Ahhh music...

So while I have my preferences in music I like to delve out into some other types of music. My brother in law is in love with The Sounds and I thought I'd give it a listen to see what it was all about. So the sound of the music is fine, the band is Swedish and their accent is a little visible. My first exposure to the sounds was with the Geico commercial when the two cavemen pull up on bullet bikes and "Don't wanna hurt you" is playing in the background. Good song, good sound... why not I thought. So I bought the album "Crossing the Rubicon". On a side note, a Rubicon is a journey with no end... there is your word of the day. Back to the subject, so I'm listening to the words of the song which are all in English and I cannot make sense of them! They sound like a foreigner has taken all the English they know and put the words together without any particular order! Crazy! I kept asking myself how this stuff sells? Here is an example of the words from the song Crossing the Rubicon:


There's a hole in the ground,
Where a key can be found.

To a place where they hide,
All their secrets inside.

There's a room with no sound,
There's a force all around.

There's no time,
And no space,
No mistakes,
To erase.

Honestly? It doesn't make sense at all! Then you listen to a country song and there is a story, a plot and it's about something real. I have to say, I like all kinds of music but I really like a song that makes sense and that I can relate to. Thank goodness for country and ballads... at least they make sense.

Boots...

I'm taking the time to write a little about my boots. I have owned a pair of Justin Western Style boots for the past six years and they have been great! I replaced the leather sole when it wore out and put on a hard rubber sole that is lasting quite well. During the summer I usually can be found wearing flip flops or boat shoes. When I exercise I'm in my gym shoes or when I'm in the mountains I wear a pair of Merrell's or my Vasque hiking boots. I don't usually wear my cowboy boots unless it's a certain occasion or if I know it's going to be a bit cooler. 100 degrees in my boots isn't that much fun. We had a cooler day here and I was dying to put my boots back on. I can't believe how well they fit... I love my boots! They fit my foot like a glove... honestly, the most comfy shoes that I own. I was recently looking into buying some new boots, ones that have a little more cushion on the bottom. I checked out Ariat and they had some interesting boots that could work but I just can't seem to let my boots go! I love 'em too much and will probably be wearing them forever. Moral of the story, you can never beat a good pair of boots.

p.s. if you want a great boots song, check out Eric Church "These Boots".