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My friend Sparky had a terrific dream in which everything he had ever owned was returned to him. We talked about what the dream meant and I told him I thought the clear message was that nothing is ever lost. There Sparky was in his dream walking around looking at every car he had ever owned, walking down the street and going into every house where he had lived over his years, going into rooms with every toy he had ever owned, sitting once again on the seat of every shiny bicycle he had been given as a child. It is possible to enjoy so deeply and spiritually the people and things that come into our lives that no life development can take them from us, not even death. It is not the people who love shallowly who get over losing things more quickly. It’s the people who drink in life so deeply that it all becomes a part of their very being. You have heard people say things like, “I will never love that much again. It hurts too bad to lose someone who becomes dear and precious to us.” Baloney. That’s all I’ve got to say to such love rationers. You are short-changing and cheating people who want to love you. They will sense you are holding back. They will see you are emotionally crippled. Worse yet, you are robbing yourself of a chance to fully experience life. Who enjoys a glass of wine the most -- a man who chugs it down thoughtlessly or a man who slowly sips and deeply savors each drop? Every drop of life that comes your way is meant to be savored by your body, mind and soul. Don’t let your possessions possess you but possess their essence so completely that they can never be taken from you. This may be a hard saying but it is a truth that can be understood through a very simple story. I wrote songs in Nashville for many years and got caught up in the politics of the music business until it embittered me. I was not writing songs that came from my inner being. I was writing what the “pros” in the business told me had the best chance to be recorded. Few of those songs mean much to me. I seldom sing them. I was not writing them for me so they never became a part of me. Then in 1994 I decided to write what I wanted to write, produce my own sessions exactly like I thought the songs should sound, and those songs are all like my children. I love them and sing them. It feels like each new song becomes a part of my colorful quilt of life. I was talking to songwriter Malcolm Holcombe one night and telling him some of my songs that have been recorded by the stars. I said, “If I had stayed in Nashville and kept writing, I think I would have had a lot of hits, but I got into politics and lost my music contacts.” Malcolm said, “Man, nothing is ever lost.” All of life is just exploring different realities. If you leave songwriting for politics, your experience in politics will just add different angles, perspectives, colors and insights to your songwriting when you return to it. When I look at the songs I have written since 1994, I can see this so clearly. Love the people around you with all your heart and your heart will keep them alive for you even if they die. If you don’t love them with all your heart, your heart will not be able to make them real to you. Love as much of your work as you possibly can, even if it’s not your first choice, and it will enrich you financially and spiritually. Make your motto, “I shall possess the essence of my life experiences and their beauty will be mine forever.”
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