All posts by Jonathan Hilton

Nostalgicmusicmonth

Wildfire on the Bayou

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Day 15 Nostalgic Music Month

Creedence Clearwater Revival by Jon Hilton

Nostalgia is looking back at your life with fondness. Pulling out the memories you have and remembering the people, events, and things that mattered on your journey. Creedence Clearwater Revival and their music take me on a long visit to my past. Like most bands of significance, it is difficult to pick just a few songs because so many had an impact. From my childhood to my current life as a “middle-aged” person.  I go on a trip in every song, to the backwoods of Maine. To the college campus of the University of Maine at Farmington. To the memories of a young man doing his best to learn about life. The conclusion is still the same now as it was then, I still have a lot to learn.

  1. Born on the Bayou– Even though I was born hundreds of miles from the bayou, the backwoods of Maine bring the same sense of rural, family and wilderness. I can remember running through the backwood bare, chasing down the hoodoo there. This song makes me remember all of those days of my youth and the seemingly perfect circumstances of a life full of play and adventure.  Now when I was just a little boy standin’ to my Daddy’s knee. My Poppa said, “Son don’t let the man get you do what he done to me.”
  2. Fortunate Son–  If CCR released this song today, they would be a target of the people. They would be deemed unAmerican.  During the era of Vietnam, the draft system was one that favored the rich and put the poor and disadvantaged on the fast track to the jungle.  Today we live in an era of ultra sensitivity, where any disenting voice is attacked and demonized. Simpletons spouting simple thoughts. Free speech used to be a valued commodity in the United States, but today it is a luxury.  As long as you say what “the man” finds acceptable you have this right. Say something they don’t like and you don’t.    Some folks are born made to wave the flag
    Ooh, they’re red, white and blue. And when the band plays “Hail to the chief”.    Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord!!!
  3. Someday Never Comes–  In my search for knowledge, this advice was true, someday never comes. Too often we put things off until tomorrow and then to the next day. Eventually it is too late and the opportunity is gone forever. We are all given chances to achieve things in life. Sometimes we are too comfortable where we are or more often, too afraid of failing.  If you have a dream, today is the day. If you want to try something the time is now. Well, I’m here to tell you now, each and every mother’s son, That you better learn it fast, you better learn it young,’Cause someday never comes.
  4. Long as I Can See the Light– All of us have left people behind. Some deserved it, they were not in our best interest. But there are a precious few we leave behind that we should have kept with us. Those are the people we want to put a candle in the window to help guide us back to them. In life, there are times we need to go, to learn a lesson we need to learn. But you can always bring that lesson back with you, returning a better person able to give a better part of yourself. Look for the light.   Put a candle in the window ,’Cause I feel I’ve gotta move, Though I’m goin’, goin’ , I’ll be comin’ home soon. Long as I can see the light.
  5. The Midnight Special– This is a great sing along song.  It also shines a light on the inequalities that have existed in our society for decades. Apparantly when you look around, absolutely nothing has changed. The system is rigged against some and for others.  The prevailing strategy seems to be, make sure you are on the side that it is rigged for. Everyone else is on their own.  It leads me to believe that CCR would not be welcomed today into the music industry or conservative society. But you better not complain, boy, you get in trouble with the man.

HM-  Have you Ever seen the rain, bad moon rising, Proud Mary, Down on the Corner, Lookin’ Out My Back Door, Run Through the Jungle, Suzi Q., Lodi, I Heard it Through the Grapvine, Green River, Up around the bend, Travellin’ Band, I put a Spell on you, Hey Tonight, Sweet Hitch Hiker

Micheal Martin Murphey- by Mike Martin

What is a #OctoberNostalgicMusicMonth without celebrating an artist who shares your name?

Michael Martin Murphey is an American singer-songwriter born on March 14, 1945. He is best known for writing and performing Western music, country music and popular music. A multiple Grammy nominee, Murphey has six gold albums, including a song that helped a nine-year boy believe that there was an escape from the confines of a small, remote, isolated, Maine town—realizing that all I needed was a horse.

Wildfire reached #1 on the Adult Contemporary charts, and when I hear it,

Wildfire

this song instantly takes me back to 1975.

By the dark of the moon I planted
But there came an early snow
There’s been a hoot-owl howling by my window now
For six nights in a row
She’s coming for me, I know
And on Wildfire we’re both gonna go

With that said, I gotta go-to the Home Depot.

Please, have a great day, and if you have any questions, drop us a line and please partake in #OctoberNostalgicMusicMonth and while you are at it take a trip to Greenville, Maine-I understand the foliage is majestic this time of year!
#OctoberNostalgicMusicMonth #visitGreenville

Philosophy

Remember How to Play

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Remember How To Play In Life

Playing Catch
Remembering the fun of play

Many years ago, I can remember being a kid and just wondering who was going to be available to play after school.  There were not many things that were more important to my elementary school self than what I would play, where I would play and who would be available to play with.  Growing up in the town of Greenville, Maine, Tuesdays were always a difficult day because the bulk of my colleagues were Catholic and they had to go to Catechism, which significantly cut into my options.  I often urged some of my friends to skip their religious instruction for a rousing game of kickball or football or anything outside that involved a game of some kind.

I was fortunate to have a built-in playmate in my brother who was only a bit more than a year younger than me, and we always had Joel Wortman.  I can remember us getting home from school watching a little TV, eating a snack and then playing until the call to dinner would end our fun.  If there was a game, we played it.  For whiffle ball, we arranged the back yard like a Fenway, with the house being the “green monster”, the rock in the ground was first base, the worn patch was second and we would throw something down for third.  There was never a complaint or a problem with the facilities.   It was the game that counted.

playing catch
Remember those days when there wasn’t an organized game to go to, people just played for the sake of having fun

Play was such an important part of our lives that I wonder how it ever faded away, but it definitely did. As you grow older it becomes less and less a part of your life as you move into the “fun” of adulthood, the games of youth are left behind.  As young adults the opportunities for play are plentiful, but most of us confuse competition with play.  See any adult softball league to see this factor in action, too worried about winning a game that should be enjoyed just for being played.  Like many things as adults we forget what is important and that is just playing.

I enjoy playing golf because it gives you the opportunity to get outside, move around, socialize with your friends and just play.  Golf is only hard when you worry about how well you are playing, and much like life, golf is a game that can’t be won, only played.

Many people have play in their heart, and when they have children of their own, the spirit comes back out and they now have the approval of society to play again, like they did when they were young.  Some of the best parents I have known didn’t forget how to play.

Without researching too very hard here are some of the benefits that you can gain right now from playing.

climbing a tree
I couldn’t stop laughing as I climbed a tree for the first time in many years. It was harder than I remember.

Play Provides Connections to Others

As you play any game with someone else there is a connection that is made. A shared memory or experience created through play will be carried with you through the laughter and joy that you share with someone else.  Play has also been shown to help develop compassion, trust, and the ability to connect with others.

Play Helps You Learn About People

There are many social skills that are keenly honed through play.  Creativity, acceptance, tolerance, risk-taking, social etiquette are just some of the lessons that playing has taught me, and I assume can teach anyone.

 

Play Makes You Happy

When you play you will find that it is difficult to be mad, sad or otherwise pissed off at anyone.  I am told that this is because endorphins are released into your bloodstream resulting from play.  I know that it is impossible not to smile when you are truly enjoying playing.

I wasn’t sure if I remembered correctly or not, and the only way that I could know for sure was to actually try to play.  It was harder than you might think to find a venue to play where you are allowed to be yourself and not interfere with anyone else.  Then I really focused on playing and having fun and surprise, surprise it was better than I remembered.  I played catch, ran around and climbed trees, which was not as easy as I remember, but really a lot more fun.  I mean it has been over 30 years since I tried to climb a tree.

My advice to you is that you take a moment or two and play with all your heart.  You will remember what it is like to have fun.

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Philosophy

The Leaf Is So Simple

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The Leaf Is So Simple

A leaf in Autumn 2
The leaf is so simple but full of memories

The leaf is so simple. I remember never being able to understand how a green leaf could change into so many different colors? Or why a tree would shed it’s most valuable skin? I always think back to my childhood when I recall memories. Probably because the best ones derived from innocence.

Jumping in Leaves

Everyone remembers jumping in the leaves. It’s priceless. You tend to forget year after year that those leaves do in fact have pointy stems. That is, until you get one in the eye. Or that they’re rather fragile the older they get and crumble making their way into your clothes causing you to become itchy.

Garbage Bag Ghosts

leaves in garbage bags
Making Garbage bag ghosts. Scary!!

Stuffing garbage bags in the shapes of ghosts and using them as lawn decoration was always a favorite. Watching Mom fight with the bags while they try to blow away because she refuses to put a rock in them.

Halloween Thoughts

Halloween was always a good time. Trying to pick an outfit that will keep you warm in the biting cold but still look cool enough to wear in front of your friends. Mom was always good at coming up with last minute ideas and making them amazing.  Something about crunchy leaves kicking around while you’re trick or treating brings life to the holiday. Sparking spook and scary feelings.

Pumpkin Hunting

looking for the perfect pumpkin
Finding the Perfect Pumpkin

Finding the perfect pumpkin was the most important Fall pastime. Perfectly round, no blemishes, and just the right size. And the baby pumpkins that sat on the table. I used to love coming home from school and walking down our long driveway. It clutters in leaves entirely and makes the most earthly sound when you walk through them. I’d walk out to meet my sister when she got off the bus half an hour later just to take the walk again.

There’s always a smell that reminds me of the previous year. Something different that I’ve never smelled before, but always follows a memory. I haven’t found it yet this year, but I’m confident I will.

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Nostalgicmusicmonth

Mrs. Robinson’s Cats in the Cradle

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Nostalgic Music Month Day 14

Simon and Garfunkel by Jon Hilton

The songs of Simon and Garfunkel are what nostalgic music month is all about. When I look back over the entirety of my life, these are songs that have been along for the ride from the time I was 7 until today at 51. As I have grown and matured, so have the significance attached to each song. In high school, these songs were there. In college, it was the same. Even as I navigated the ever-shifting waters of adulthood, the music of Simon and Garfunkel has been there.  The difficult part for me is choosing just 5 songs that most impacted me throughout life.

  1. Mrs. Robinson– There are few songs that have stood up like this one. The lyrics can be applied to today just as well as the 1960’s. The facade that people portray in life. Under the surface there are issues and no life is perfect. Where have you gone Joe Dimaggio?  Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you.  There is also to the seemingly hopeless political divisions of 2017.  Laugh about it, shout about it, when you’ve got to choose, any way you look at this you lose. 
  2. Bridge Over Troubled Water– There are few songs that transport you to an exact moment, and you can vividly remember all of the emotion, thoughts, and feelings surrounding that event. Life is an experience of highs and lows, bitter and sweet, that makes it an interesting journey. I hope that I have been a bridge over troubled water for those who needed it. I also know I have been troubled water to others. For that, I am sorry.  All I could do was my best to ease your mind.  Sail on silver girl. Sail on by. Your time has come to shine. All your dreams are on their way.
  3. Kathy’s Song– If you are a thinking human being, you realize that many of the things you believe in the morning of life are going to be rendered lies or useless as you move into the afternoon and evening of your life. This song reminds me of all the special people who have helped me understand some of those changing beliefs over the years.  Love is the greatest teacher if you pay attention to the lesson. My mind’s distracted and diffused
    My thoughts are many miles away. They lie with you when you’re asleep. And kiss you when you start your day.
  4. Homeward Bound– Looking back on all the different phases of my life, I think all of the struggles and easy moments have all been for the same purpose to find home. I have been fortunate to find some home in many places and to make the best of most situations. Much of what we have to do in life takes us away from being with the people we love.  Ideally, I think work should be something that you are passionate about not something that you do for a paycheck and stability. I know, not realistic.  I wish I was, Homeward bound, Home where my thought’s escaping, Home where my music’s playing, Home where my love lies waiting Silently for me.
  5. The Boxer- Your life can best be symbolized as a line graph. There are times that all factors align to place you on the high end. Then others put you down toward the bottom. This song reminds me of the spirit that we all have of courage to bounce back from adversity. To reinvent yourself, find some growth and keep going forward even when it is dark.  The fighter is there always in all of us to overcome any obstacle. In the clearing stands a boxer And a fighter by his trade. And he carries the reminders. Of ev’ry glove that laid him down

The Sounds of Silence, I am a rock, Scarborough Fair, America, Cecelia, April She Will Come, A Hazy Shade of Winter, 59th Bridge St song, For Emily wherever I may find her, Blues Run the Game

Harry Chapin by Mike Martin

My father has many sayings. My favorite, “if you are going to hire out tough you’ve gotta play the part”

My brother Kevin and my cousin Shawn know my father’s sayings well. We heard them often while we were moving cords and cords of firewood from the big woods of Maine to our homes in Greenville, Maine

Harry Forster Chapin was an American singer-songwriter best known for his folk rock songs including a number one hit Cat’s in the Cradle.

The song’s lyrics began as a poem written by Harry’s wife, Sandra Gaston; the poem itself was inspired by the awkward relationship between her first husband and his father a Brooklyn politician. This is a tribute to Harry Chapin character to record a song written by his wife about her former husband.

Watch the video (Harry Chapin – Cats in the Cradle) Sandy says that Harry put the poem aside until the birth of their son, Josh, born on November 15, 1972.

A dirty, old tractor

Josh, who is still involved with the family’s website, www.harrychapinmusic.com , and contributes to the release of new Harry Chapin material under the family’s label Chapin Productions, says that people want to touch him when they meet him, and he hears many stories of how Cat’s in the Cradle helped heal their relationships with the fathers.

From this line in the song,

And he walked away, but his smile never dimmed
Said, I’m gonna be like him, yeah
You know I’m gonna be like him

It seems that Sandy’s first husband’s father didn’t have much time for his son and it makes sense because love them or hate them, politicians are busy people attending daily work sessions and late night meetings- a huge time commitment that is most definitely a hardship to the family.

My dad has many talents but earned the majority of his income from fixing the big equipment used to harvest the trees for the State of Maine’s paper industry. He said often that he wished better for us that we didn’t have to earn a living lying underneath a dirty old tractor. This astonished me because, when I was ten all, I ever wanted was to make a living lying underneath a dirty old tractor.

Luckily, when I was a kid, my dad always had time for me. I got to go to work with him often and I always came home covered with grease. Of course, that was a day when they let a 10-year-old boy got to work like a man. Those were great days, filled with great lessons, mostly taught by example.

My son was born October 14, 1999, and turns eighteen today. Happy Birthday Coop, may the World bring you hope, joy, and prosperity, and

I don’t know when
But we’ll get together then
You know we’ll have a good time then

Please, have a great day, and if you have any questions, drop us a line and please partake in #OctoberNostalgicMusicMonth and while you are at it take a trip to Greenville, Maine-I understand the foliage is majestic this time of year! #visitGreenville

#OctoberNostalgicMusicMonth #visitGreenville

Philosophy

The Indispensable Man

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indispensable manA poem I used to read and recommend often and was struck today with how true it really is.

THE INDISPENSABLE MAN

By Saxon White Kessinger

Sometime, when you’re feeling important,

Sometime when your ego’s in bloom,

Sometime, when you take it for granted,

You’re the best qualified in the room.

Sometime when you feel that you’re going

Would leave and unfillable hole,

Just follow this simple instruction,

And see how it humbles your soul

Take a bucket and fill it with water,

Put your hand in it, up to your wrist;

Pull it out, and the hole that’s remaining

Is a measure of how you’ll be missed.

You may splash all you please when you enter,

You can stir up the water galore,

But stop, and you’ll find in a minute,

That it looks quite the same as before.

The moral in this quaint example,

Is do just the best you can,

Be proud of yourself, but remember,

There’s no indispensable man.

 

Philosophy

Avoiding the Negative Media

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Avoiding the Negative Media

news boycott
Stop watching the “News.” They lie.

It was about four years ago that I had had enough. No matter what was happening globally, it seemed the media had to spend its time spreading fear, unhappiness or promoting programs on their network of stations that even further spread fear and unhappiness.  Enough was enough, and I tentatively started my own personal news boycott to avoid the negative media and their effects on me.

The news boycott is for all national news shows no matter what time they are on because they are focused on the most negative aspects of life. You miss nothing because the news cycle is, all the same, continually telling you how to feel, who to trust and who to dislike. A tragedy of some kind occurs, and they will milk it as long as possible. Gossip is close enough to the news.  Skipping this daily barrage of negativity, you would think that I would not be able to keep up with current events or news, but that has not been the case. With Facebook, Twitter, and the radio, no major news event has gone by without me knowing almost immediately. What I got to miss was all of the wallowings in anger, gossip, ridicule, and fear-mongering that the national negative media pours onto every “news story” they cover.

A great example would be the theater shootings that took place in 2012. I heard about it, though it was awful, felt sympathy for the victims, and understood that this guy (the shooter) was obviously disturbed. “Normal” people don’t do things like that.

What I didn’t do is wallow in it. The national negative media tried to dissect the perpetrator’s life and try to understand why he would do such a thing. Talking to everyone from classmates in college and kids he went to high school with.  I only know this by what others have told me, so I can’t report any first-hand knowledge of these interviews. I know that my life has been much more positive without that negative media machine spouting their “news.”

Pay Attention to the Positive ignore the Negative Media.

Every day there are positive stories of people doing good deeds and helping others live more positively. However, these stories do not even gain a mention in the vicious negative news cycle.  There are, in fact, many more good people than bad in the world. More good things are happening than bad.  There is just no money in reporting that things are great and wonderful.  Only partial blame belongs to the media because they just provide what the market will tune in to see.  A celebrity dies, nude pictures of celebrities, the public figure takes a fall, murder, terrorism are all topics that draw you in, and you watch incessantly.  So until we all stop watching, there is not going to be any significant change.

Never Been More Sure of News Boycott

Since the beginning of mass media, the practice of propaganda has been developed to control public opinion. The national media has become very skilled in telling you what to think, who to trust and who to hate. Whenever the world is split into us against them mentality, odds are, you are being manipulated.

In this election season, I have never been surer that my news boycott has become permanent as the silly election season moves into high gear. There is an inundation of false, negative, idiotic campaign ads that do little to inform but much to scare or frighten. We can sum them up into two categories.   One is that the Republicans will ruin our country if they are elected president.  On the other side are the Democrats, who will ruin the country if they are elected. The negative media wins either way.

A snapshot of the time that negative stories are given in the TV news cycle, from Jan. 20 to April 9, 2017. Each is designed to manipulate your thoughts, cause fear and control your thoughts.

The ads are designed to make supporters mad at the opposition and experience fear about the presidential election outcome.  Personally, both options are just two different sides of the

same coin, and we will experience party politics and business, as usual, no matter who wins.  However, if you look at the ads observed in a vacuum, they are quite humorous.  Republicans hate Democrats and each other; Democrats hate Republicans but not each other; we are all stuck in the third grade listening to the negative media.

The national news shows, I am sure, are pontificating on the positives of their candidate and spewing the fear about the opponent.  Count the number of negative sentences used in an ad designed to instill fear or fear-based thinking, and it will surprise you.  Not me because the media has shown that fear sells, sensation sells, and good deeds don’t make good copy.  Practice your own news boycott, and you will feel a lot better about the world and put a dent in ending the negative media.

If you don’t use your mind to think your own thoughts, someone else will fill it with theirs. So take a moment and look at how things really are and what can really hurt you. Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see.

 

Nostalgicmusicmonth

Operator, Every Little Thing is Gonna Be Alright

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Day 13 – Nostalgic Music Month

Bob Marley- by Jon Hilton

One of my hidden talents in life is being one of the world’s preeminent dashboard musicians. That is, no matter where I travel, the time always goes faster, and is more memorable when you have good music to sing along with.  I have given performances lately on a nightly basis, and one of the artists that bring the most enjoyment is to sing along with the music of Bob Marley. The point of this project has been to celebrate the many ways that music has highlighted our lives. To rise above petty jealousy and foolishness and remember the happiness in life. The music of the late great Bob Marley always takes me to times and people who were golden in my memory.  Just thinking about writing this makes me smile and know that everything’s gonna be alright.

  1. Could You Be Loved– One of the basic fundamental principals of the world should be that love is the most important thing. More important than money, status and who’s right or wrong. This song reminds me to put the judgment away and accept the differences in people I encounter every day. Put aside differences and look at the similarities that exist in all people. The road of life is rocky and you may stumble too. So while you point your fingers someone else is judging you.
  2. Three Little Birds- Don’t worry about a thing, ’cause every little thing is gonna be alright.  That sentiment will get you through life. Worry never brought anything positive to your life. It is paying for tomorrow’s imaginary troubles today. All days have something positive in them and our job, as I see it, is to find them and appreciate them. This is a finite journey of fixed time through life and it is your choice how you spend it, miserable or happy. The simple choices you make moment to moment dictate that, choose wisely.
  3. Get Up Stand Up-This is a song that seems more relevant today than ever before. We live in a time of division, us and them, there is little understanding. I think we need to get up and stand up for the human being in all people. Rather than approaching things from a perspective of fear, we should be approaching problems from a perspective of love. You can fool some people sometimes. But you can’t fool all the people all the time. So now we see the light (What you gonna do?)We gonna stand up for our rights!
  4. Is this Love-We are all on a journey in life to find our other half.  The person who will complete us and allow us to become the best version of ourselves. This is a song about that search for me. Often I have to ask myself this question and have gotten all types of answers. In my mind now looking back, the answer was sometimes yes and sometimes no. This song reminds me of the many wonderful times I have researched this question and all of those answers I have received. I, I’m willing and able
    So I throw my cards on your table…………
  5. Redemption Song– The greatest stories in life are about redemption. No life is free of challenges, mistakes, miscalculations and foolish behavior. These things only define us if we allow them to. There is always a chance for redemption for all people. The greatest story is a comeback story and the triumph of overcoming our circumstances of pain to become a better version of ourselves. Whatever your struggles, keep moving forward today and move toward the ideal tomorrow that you dream of.  Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our minds.

I shot the sheriff, No Woman No Cry, One Love, So Much Trouble in the World,

 “Jim” Croce- by Mike Martin

James Joseph “Jim” Croce was an American folk and rock singer from Philadelphia, PA. He released five studio albums and had two number one hits on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

Bad Bad Leroy Brown 

Well the two men took to fighting

And when they pulled them off the floor

Leroy looked like a jigsaw puzzle

With a couple of pieces gone

A song about a man from Chicago that Jim had met in Fort Jackson, South Carolina while attending the Army’s lineman school. “Leroy” went AWOL after a few weeks but came back at the end of the month to get his paycheck. They put handcuffs on him and took him away.

Jim said that he listened to him talk about how ‘bad’ he was and knew someday he was going to write a song about him. I met a similar man from Chicago when attending boot camp at Great Lakes Naval Station in North Chicago, IL,

We called him “Shy Town.”  He claimed to be a gang banger and tried to persuade, the nine of us who arrived early and spent the first weekend of boot camp together, to shave our heads bald-just like his. Seven compiled, at the delight of the little Yeoman from Connecticut. I said no and gained a friend and a place at the front of the mail and paycheck line for the eight weeks of Navy boot camp.

Shy Town swan like a fish, so I was convinced he was a preppy private school kid, and just like Leroy, Shy Town only lasted three weeks.

On Thursday, September 20, 1973, during Croce’s Life and Times tour and the day before his single,  I Got a Name (1973)  , was released, the plane crashed an hour after a concert in Austin, TX. Croce died in the crash and was 30 years old.

Two of my favorite Jim Croce songs include the ultimate love song (have a great day Shannon) as well as a song about how to recover when your best friend runs off with your girl. Happy Friday the Thirteenth folks!

Time in a Bottle

If I could make days last forever
If words could make wishes come true
I’d save every day like a treasure and then
Again, I would spend them with you

Operator

Isn’t that the way they say it goes? Well, let’s forget all that
And give me the number if you can find it
So I can call just to tell ’em I’m fine and to show
I’ve overcome the blow, I’ve learned to take it well
I only wish my words could just convince myself
That it just wasn’t real, but that’s not the way it feels

Party-on folks, and if you have any questions, drop us a line and please partake in #OctoberNostalgicMusicMonth and while you are at it take a trip to Greenville, Maine-I understand the foliage is majestic this time of year! #visitGreenville
#OctoberNostalgicMusicMonth #visitGreenville

Nostalgicmusicmonth

Round and Round In Your Eyes

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Day 12 Nostalgic Music Month

Peter Gabriel by Jon Hilton

The college years in a person’s life are transitional as you move from the foolishness of youth into the “seriousness” of adulthood. You need to learn to balance the fun quotient of life with getting tasks completed.  The music of Peter Gabriel reminds me of my own struggles putting fun and work into proper perspective throughout my college years.

I was fortunate enough to attend two different institutions and earned a degree from both. However the lessons I learned in life there were far more valuable than any organized degree. Some of those lessons are here in the music of Peter Gabriel.

  1. Sledgehammer – During the summer of 1986, I worked security at SMVTI. We lived on campus in a dorm called Harborview.  There were 5 of us, 19-year-olds with no supervision. This song reminds me of the lessons learned that summer about time management and responsibility.  Sometimes when you want to have fun and meet young ladies, it is important to be a sledgehammer.  I’m going to be the sledgehammer
    This can be my testimony. I’m your sledgehammer. Let there be no doubt about it.

  2. Mercy Street– This song should be called Hobart Street because that is what I think of. An apartment we rented in South Portland, Maine the second year I went to school there. It is the place I watched the Red Sox blow the 1986 World Series and made a lot of youthful memories. We almost always had something happening. Friends visiting from neighboring colleges or from high school. One of the times in life when there was nothing but positive memories until the time it had to end and we all moved on with life. I often dream of that time and look for that type of happiness again, even though I know like all things, it has passed. Looking down on empty streets, all she can see. Are the dreams all made solid. Are the dreams all made real.

  3. Big Time– When you are young, you think you know everything. Or what you don’t know you can figure out when you need to. Life has not slapped you hard yet. I was sure that I had hit the big time back at that time. Living in the “big city” and getting my first car. It was a 1975 Ford Pinto. I paid $300 for and drove everywhere for a year. It was not pretty, it was not flashy, but it provided me with a freedom that I have enjoyed since. I have owned many other cars over the years but none put me in the big time like that ugly, pea green, potential explosive, Ford Pinto. Big time
    I’m on my way-I’m making it. Big time big time. I’ve got to make it show. yeah. Big time big time. So much larger than life. Big time. I’m going to watch it growing. Big time.

  4. Solsbury Hill– Friends are important throughout your life. When you are a young man trying to figure out how the big world works, friends are vital to the knowledge you gain and the lessons you learn. From how much you should drink, how to stand by those you care about in times of difficulty. This song reminds me of all of those brothers I grew up with in South Portland. All of us have had experiences after but I think the foundation of knowledge we learned on and around the campus of SMVTI has stuck with us. This song reminds me of this always. To keep in silence I resigned. My friends would think I was a nut. Turning water into wine. Open doors would soon be shut.

5. In Your Eyes– Anyone my age has the unstoppable urge to hold a boom box over your head whenever you hear this song. Seriously, right now I am listening to it and holding my computer over my head. This, of course, is the iconic scene of John Cusack in the movie Say Anything.  I think there were many times that “love” has ruled my life. As we get older, we seem to lose some of that passion of youth. The part of yourself that found love to be so vital to your existence.  Always remember the part of yourself that would do the romantic things to make your significant other feel special. I am not sure I want to hang out with anyone who wouldn’t hold a boom box for someone in 1986-87.  When I want to run away. I drive off in my car. But whichever way I go. I come back to the place you are.

HM- Don’t Give Up, Games without frontiers, Red Rain, Shock the Monkey, Digging in the Dirt

 Ratt by Mike Martin

I’ve seen Ratt twice both times in San Diego.  We have three rats- Mocha, Morticia and Cookie. I am not very fond of them.

Ratt is an American heavy metal band that had significant success and contributed heavily to the big glam pop metal movement of the 1980s.

I moved to San Diego in the late summer/early fall of 1985. After spending the coldest winter of my life at Great Lakes Naval Station in North

Great Lakes Naval Base

Chicago, IL, I was ready for some sunshine.

I was a little nervous walking aboard the USS Jouett CG-29 –affectionately known as the Jolly J buy its crew. But, those feelings faded face when I ran into a familiar face. Mike Shandik and I knew each other from Snipe school. The training you receive from the Navy to prepare you on how not to get caught sleeping on watch.

Mike landed on the Jolly J about 4 months before me. I was “push button” Snipe, so I got to hang out in Illinois and Wisconsin for an extra 4 months getting some extra Snipe training. I was happy to see him, and it didn’t take long to feel as though I was right at home.

In retrospect, it seems like several years between the day I was welcomed aboard the Jolly J and the New Year’s Eve that Mike and I (Dave Walsh weren’t you there?) saw Bon Jovi open for the Ratt, a San Diego Band, at the San Diego Sports Arena, but in reality it was less than 4 months.

We’ve had our rats- Mocha, Morticia and Cookie since Christmas 2016, and it seems like three weeks. Why is that?

Rats are considered the dogs of the rodent world. Shannon and the kids tell me they are warm, cuddly, loyal, and loving- not at all like their reputation or the rock band who shares their name.

Ratt came “Out of the Cellar” in 1984, followed that with “Invasion of Your Privacy” in 1985, and then “Dancing Undercover” in 1986. During this time, Ratt was very popular-selling out venues across the United States.

They are still touring and have had no less than 10 different members. They have broken up-reunited –broken up-reunited-broken up-reunited and are currently in a court battle –paying lawyers to decide who gets to use the “Ratt” brand.

Seems like Ratt – Round And Round   Predicted their future.

Tightened our belts, abuse ourselves

Get in our way, we’ll put you on your shelf

Another day, some other way

We’re gonna go, but then we’ll see you again

Party-on folks, and if you have any questions, drop us a line and please partake in #OctoberNostalgicMusicMonth and while you are at it take a trip to Greenville, Maine-I understand the foliage is majestic this time of year! #visitGreenville

#OctoberNostalgicMusicMonth #visitGreenville

Philosophy

How Baseball Is Like Life

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Baseball Is A Part Of Daily Life For Many People

baseball is like lifeI have often wondered why I have such a love for the game of baseball, it is sometimes long and the action sometimes is slow, but it continually comes back to me that so many aspects of the game are a direct representation of the way life is.  Life lessons are displayed daily on the baseball diamond, and we simply have to be paying attention to soak in the knowledge.   Following are some of those observations.How baseball is like lifeKeep your Head In the Game

baseball is like lifeIf you are not in the starting lineup, or you do not like your role, always be ready and keep your head in the game because the opportunity to show what you can do could come at any time.   Taking advantage of an opportunity is how your preparation and attitude meet this chance.  In life, if you are not happy in your current position or job, you have to keep a positive attitude and prepare for your opportunity to shine.  You never know who you are going to meet or what situation you may be in.  Be prepared and you just may find your dream job doing what will make you happy.

Believe In Yourself

Baseball is like lifeYou can strike out three times in a game, but hit a game-winning home run in your fourth at-bat and the day is a success.  This happens all the time in life, you are at work and the day or week or year may seem to be going right down the outhouse hole.  But then there is a pitch you can hit, and you don’t miss it.  You hit it out of the park!  Just when your team needed you the most.  The three strikeouts are forgotten and you are remembered for being the hero.  This can only happen if you keep your focus, maintain your concentrated effort and believe in yourself.

Keep Your Focus

Sometimes it seems slow and that there is nothing happening.  Keep your focus and maintain your effort and you will most likely be rewarded with the opportunity to be great.  In life, days, weeks and even years can seem to be slow and boring with little happening.  Don’t waste your time bitching and complaining.  Life is too short for that.  You are the main catalyst of your life, and you determine how exciting things are.  Since that is the case, why would you waste time complaining about it?  You have to maintain your focus and when given the opportunity make something happen that is not slow or boring.  You may be the catalyst for your own life if you look to be.

Things Change Quickly

Jon Hilton on Baseball is lifeA promising start to an inning can lead to absolutely nothing.  Bases loaded with nobody out can turn into a strikeout and a double play with no runs scored in a matter of a few pitches.  In life that means don’t get too excited when things look promising, they can change for the worse in very short order.  Appreciate it when things are going your way.  Enjoy the moment fully, but don’t get carried away that the game is already over.  As Yogi said, “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.”

Prove Yourself Continually

No matter how good you have been, you have to maintain the effort and performance or you will find yourself out of the game.  Being great and thinking you’re great are two different things.  In life, even if you have been successful in the past, if you stop putting in the effort you have, or let your preparation slide you may find yourself out of a job or relationship before you know it.

You’ve Got to Put the Past Behind You

Baseball is like lifePut your yesterday’s behind you, good or bad they won’t help you perform today.  Every day is a new chance to win a game.   In life, this can be hard to do but it is a must.  You can’t look back and wish for the past to return, because it won’t.  Learn from your experiences, treasure the memories, but use those experiences to fuel your future or you will be standing in place for years, wondering what might have been and missing out on great opportunities for growth.  You have unlimited potential to grow and succeed, let those situations find you!

Team is Most Important

The greatest individual players, can’t win on a consistent basis without a competent team around them.  In life, this is fairly obvious.  You can be an outstanding individual talent at whatever you are doing, but without a competent group of people behind you in the workplace or at home it will be difficult to be successful consistently.  At the very least having great “teammates” at home and on the job will make your achievement easier.  Find good teammates!

It’s A Game of Inches

baseball is like lifeIt is a game of inches.  Just fair.  Just foul.  The difference between winning and losing often comes down to the inches.  It is always easier to finish on top when luck is on your side.  In life often times it also comes down to inches.  These inches aren’t as visible as they are in baseball, but they do exist.  One simple decision here, a little extra effort there, one poor decision, being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Life and success is a game of inches and sometimes it just comes down to luck.  You can increase your chances of finding good luck by doing the right things every day.  Be honest, interact with positive people, do the right thing all of the time even when it isn’t easy.  The inches will shrink and success will be easier.

Take What They Give You

Jon Hilton about BaseballTake what they give you.  If you continually try to hit how you want to and not what they give you, you are going to constantly hit weak ground balls to the infield.  Go with the pitch and you will find more success.  In life, you can pound your head against the wall and insist on things being the way you envision them, even when they are clearly not working and you will end up experiencing failure.  Change your approach when things aren’t going your way and take what life and circumstances are giving you and success will come much easier.

Do Your Job

Do your job and usually your team will be successful.  Moving a runner along, hitting a fly ball deep enough to score a runner from third with less than two outs, rather than just swinging the bat for no purpose, will give you focus and allow your team the best chance it has to win.  In life, you are not always going to be the superstar or the hero, sometimes in life, the biggest heroes are the people who consistently do their job to the best of their ability regardless of what is required of them.   By always doing their job, they will become invaluable to the success of the business they are in or the family that they have.  By comparison, the person who fails to consistently do their job will be shipped out, to the minor leagues or to the unemployment line. baseball is like life

Jump at Opportunities

Take advantage of the opportunities the game gives you for success.  In every game and in life, there will be an opportunity for you to perform and help your team win.  Be ready for the opportunity.  You can sit around and be negative because you feel that things aren’t going your way.  If you waste your time worrying about things that you can’t control you will not be ready when that opportunity does show itself to you.  Keeping a positive frame of mind will help you take advantage of the opportunities that life will inevitably present to you.  Sit on the bench and sulk or be ready to jump into the game with all your heart.

Sometimes You Fail

Sometimes you just strike out.  Even when you prepare and do everything right, it is no guarantee of success.  Sometimes you just strike out.  That is life and that is baseball.  It is kind of a scary thing that you can prepare, be positive, look for your opportunities, be a good teammate, work hard and do everything right, and still when the opportunity presents itself you fail.  What baseball teaches us about this is that you can’t let one failure, no matter how large, stop you from pushing forward and searching for your next success.  There will be a new game, with new chances for greatness coming tomorrow.  Keep doing the right things and next time you may not strike out, you may hit the game-winning home run.  Maybe.  Nothing in baseball is guaranteed.  What is guaranteed is that if you quit and stop trying you will never experience that success.

Life isn’t Fair

Baseball is not always fair.  Along the same lines, as sometimes you strike out, baseball is not always fair.  Life is also not fair.  It has never been and it never will be.  You can spend time worrying about this but it is a fact and it is 100% out of your control so you can’t do anything to change it.  How is baseball not fair?  Umpires often make bad judgment calls that are clearly wrong and cost a player individual production and even a team wins.  In life we often deal with bad calls from umpires, getting an undeserved poor evaluation, getting passed over for a promotion you deserve, having your pay cut, losing your job, the list goes on and on.  Just like in baseball, it’s not the bad call or the unlucky break or the unfair thing that occurred, it is how you react afterward that defines you, in the game and in life.  It is not an easy thing to do when life seems to be pitching a no hitter against you to stay positive and keep working hard, but inevitably that is what must happen for you to find success or win the game.

The Final Tally

baseball is like lifeFinally, no matter what you do, eventually the game will end and the final score will be tallied and the statistics of that day will be remembered.  The heroic acts and failures will become a part of history and each player who participated will be evaluated, revered, remembered or forgotten for whatever they accomplished on that day.  In life it is much the same, eventually, it will end and at that time, you will no longer have control over what kind of life it was.  Was it a blowout?  Did you dominate from birth to death and get elected to the hall of fame?  Was it a game full of fantastic comebacks, unbelievable gaffes, retribution, and ultimate heroics?  The fact is that as the innings of life pass you have to keep your focus on what you can do to get the job done.  Learn from the failure and keep giving your all until the final pitch is thrown.  Baseball is indeed like life, and the most important thing you can do to be happy is enjoy the game.

 Poems about Baseball

 

There’s No Crying In Baseball

Classic baseball scene, because no matter how badly things go for you, there is no crying allowed, it won’t do you any good or get you any hits at all.  No Crying is not an acceptable public reaction to bad luck or poor play.

 

Field of Dreams: People Will Come.

The classic explanation by James Earl Jones (Terrance Mann) about why baseball is a symbol of hope for everyone and people will come to Iowa to look at a field to remember all that was good once and could be again.

 

Roy Hobbs Homerun St The End of The Natural

Perhaps the most prolific and symbolic movie homerun.  Kirk Gibson’s real home run against the A’s in 1988, was almost immediately compared to Roy Hobbs fictional blast.  Today, they play the music whenever a big home run is hit over the fences.

 

 

Homerun By Roy Hobbs Into Clock At Wrigley Field

When you’re struggling in a bad slump, sometimes it’s the woman you are with.  For Roy Hobbs, that was the case.  Just the site of the “Woman in White.”  His high school sweetheart, whom he left behind because of some poor choices in his life, was enough to remind Hobbs about who he really was.  Redemption is a theme that is played out in real life over every season in hundreds of different ways.

Game Called By Grantland Rice

My favorite baseball poem of all time.  It applies to not only baseball, but to life in general, because when it’s all said and done, what people will remember about you is how you played the game, or in the more real sense, how you lived your life.

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Spiritual

The Loss

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Loss of a loved one One of the things we all must deal with as we walk through the world is losing a loved one.  This loss can be sudden and swift or slow and painful, but no matter how this loss occurs, the pain of missing someone who is a light in your life is not lessened.  There really can be no words to describe the empty void that is left behind.  Inevitably life will continue as it must, and you will move on with your daily experiences because that is what we must eventually do.  But those activities will always be brushed by the thoughts of our loved ones that have passed away.

As you do, create, strive, succeed, fail, change jobs, have a family, or love in your life, the accomplishments will never cease to be a source of pride for those loved ones we have lost because they always will be proud.

Never worry about losing them because they are with you as long as they are in your thoughts.  When you need the inspiration to create that perfect thing or courage to take that chance, think of them, and you will find it.

loss of a loved one grief
Remember and smile, for there were happy times that I will never forget.

One of the greatest mysteries of life is death and loss.  Don’t waste time asking why because you’re focusing on the wrong thing when you think of why you are focusing on how this loss affects only you and comforts your existence.  We will fully answer it because how are we to know?  Will wondering why change anything?  It will not.   Think about all of the good things a person brought to the table, a smile, a laugh, support, love, strength, courage.  Define these many qualities through your loved one, and you will see the value in that person, and yes, you will miss them, as you should. You will go on to great things and carry their memory with you every step of the way.

Death is Nothing At All

Death is nothing at all.
I have only slipped away to the next room.
I am I, and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other,
That, we still are.loss of a loved one Call me by my old familiar name.
Please speak to me in the easy way
which you always used.
Put no difference into your tone.
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow. Laugh as we always laughed
at the little jokes, we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me. Pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word
that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effect.
Without the trace of a shadow on it. Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same that it ever was.
There is absolute unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind
because I am out of sight? I am but waiting for you.
For an interval.
Somewhere. Very near.
Just around the corner. All is well.

Crossing the Bar

Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!

crossing the bar
Crossing the Bar

And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that, the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;

For tho’ from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar.

Note *********  The bar referred to is a sandspit or similar promontory at the mouth of a river or harbor where tides have deposited sand over time. Hearing the wind and waves moaning off the bar usually means insufficient water to sail over the bar without grounding. Hence the second verse and its reference to a “full tide” or “high water.”

Quotes On Losing a Loved One

And with the morn, those angel faces smile, which I have loved long since and lost awhile. – John Henry Newman
Death is nothing else but going home to God; the bond of love will be unbroken for all eternity. – Mother Teresa

Don’t be dismayed at goodbyes; a farewell is necessary before you can meet again, and meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends. – Richard Bach

For death is no more than a turning of us over from time to eternity. – William Penn

Goodbyes are not forever.
Goodbyes are not the end.
They mean I’ll miss you.
Until we meet again!
(- Author Unknown)

If tears could build a stairway,
And memories a lane,
I’d walk right up to Heaven
And bring you home again.
(~Author Unknown)

Life is eternal, and love is immortal; And death is only a horizon, And a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight. – Rossiter W. Raymond

Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, and love leaves a memory no one can steal. – From a headstone in Ireland

God pours life into death and death into life without a drop being spilled. – Author Unknown

Death ends a life, not a relationship. – Jack Lemmon

Love is stronger than death even though it can’t stop death from happening, but no matter how hard death tries, it can’t separate people from love. It can’t take away our memories either. In the end, life is stronger than death. – Author Unknown

Thinking and talking about death need not be morbid; they may be quite the opposite. Ignorance and fear of death overshadow life while knowing and accepting death erases this shadow. – Lily Pincus

To live in the hearts, we leave behind is not to die. -Thomas Campbell

We don’t want to happen but have to accept things we don’t want to know but have to learn, and people we can’t live without have to let go. – Author Unknown

When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure. – Author Unknown

When you are sorrowful, look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. – Kahlil Gibran

Love here on earth
Love beyond the grave
There are no roads
My love for you can’t pave.
(- T. Sachs)

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be ever at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face
and the rainfall softly on your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.
(- Irish Blessing)

Oh heart, if one should say to you that the soul perishes like the body, answer that the flower withers, but the seed remains. – Kahlil Gibra Perhaps they are not the stars, but rather openings in Heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy. – Author Unknown

The caterpillar dies so the butterfly could be born. And, yet, the caterpillar lives in the butterfly and they are but one. So, when I die, it will be that I have been transformed from the caterpillar of earth to the butterfly of the universe. – John Harricharan

Unable are the loved to die. For love is immortality. – Emily Dickinson

When the heart weeps for what it has lost, the soul laughs for what it has found. – Sufi aphorism

While we are mourning the loss of our friend, others are rejoicing to meet him behind the veil. – John Taylor

You and I will meet again,
When we’re least expecting it,
One day in some far off place,
I will recognize your face,
I won’t say goodbye my friend,
For you and I will meet again.
(- Tom Petty)