12 things I learned in 2008.
2008 was quite a year for me. Our family moved into a new home and we spent the first few months doing major renovation and then the rest of the year trying to settle in. Work-wise, I spent most of my time in the recording studio producing for other artists and co-ordinating Worship & Arts for a church plant of the Nashville Presbytery with a few gigs here and there.
Overall, two words sum it up for me: Patience and Perseverance. Here’s the run down of the 12 things I learned in ‘08:
1. Measure twice, cut once– a great thing to remember in carpentry and life in general.
2. Giving changes me. It’s not my money and giving some of what I have away keeps my heart and head in tune with reality. It feels like the more I give, the less control money has over me.
3. Running is still a great way of getting rid of stress, but just make sure you get the right shoes, even if they cost more…and never underestimate what a run will do to get you out of a funk.
4. Artists reflect the world that is and create the world that ought to be.
5. Publix, though a tad more expensive, is vastly superior to Kroger.
6. Two very cool things happened to me this year:
#1. Fat Tire (my favorite beer in the entire world) is now available in Tennessee.
#2. I’ve discovered an amazing beer called Old Chub. Thank you to Cason Cooley, Paul Moak and Matt Slocum. I am a changed man.
7. Celebrate the people you love. My friend Billy Cerveny celebrated his 40th birthday last fall with a gathering of family and about 20 close friends. It was a great evening full of laughter and stories of how much we all love Billy and what a gift he is. It was beautiful and I was moved to tears a few times hearing folks speak (right in front of him) about how much they loved him. After everybody got to share, a bunch of artist people (myself included) got up one at a time and each performed a cover of their favorite Cerveny song. I chose “Heaven Knows” and sang it basically unplugged because my old J-45 didn’t seem to want to plug into the PA. It got me thinking about funerals (hang with me here…) and how we all share about the person once they are gone, instead of blessing them with the knowledge of how much they are loved while they are with us. I don’t want to miss an opportunity to tell people how much I love them.
8. I can’t stand Jack Johnson. He’s like an island
version of Kenny G.
9. Though technically it didn’t happen in 2008, I nonetheless have been quite anxious for U2’s new album No Line On The Horizon which comes out on March 3rd, 2009. This is huge for a number of reasons–and U2 is always important in the scope of one’s yearly reflection– First, this will undoubtedly be the best album of 2009. I’ve got a feeling it will rank among The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby… maybe higher! (deep breath of anticipation) Second, the other day my friend asked me my favorite records of 2008-ish and I gave him the obvious list– Coldplay’s Viva La Vida, Robert Plant & Alison Kraus’s Raising Sand and Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago but honestly– all of these records just point to the real and present vacuum in 2008 (and whatever other year for that matter) that is created by the passage of time between U2 albums. Absence makes my heart grow fonder– so bring it on guys.
10. 2008 will surely go down in history as the year The Truman Show ended for the US economy. The drunken-spending-fest fueled by low mortgage rates and endless consumer credit card debt has come to a giant halt. 2009 will be a year of continued re-adjustment for many many folks as they learn to live within their means again or even for the first time. And just for the record, everything I was ever told about “needing” a credit card was wrong. Forget what the culture tells you. Think for yourself and live debt free. It’s not always easy but it is more than worth it.
11. Perseverance - seeing things through to the very end while renovating our 110 year old house this year. We have some great plans for this old bag of bones but it will take a few years to get there. Kierstin constantly reminds me that it is worth it. I agree with her even though I refuse to admit it, because I tend to get overwhelmed with tasks to complete. We’re making good progress though and I hope our family enjoys this place for many years to come. We’ll plant a nice garden this Spring and get some new trees in the ground as well. I’d also like to add a hedge or two of Rosemary. It’s hardy and beautiful– like this old house! Oh and I also hope to add a wood stove to our living room this year, but we’ll see.
12. Patience - holding steady during the renovation process, staying focused on the goal and moving towards completing all the projects we had going– new drywall, hardwood floors, light fixtures, tile, etc etc… quite a long list. I’m actually tired just having typed that out…
And so, looking forward into the new year, I am busy writing and recording for various projects I’m involved with. A hymns collection, an EP for a great new artist named Esther Ellis, and possibly 10,000 Angels EP Part 2.
I’ve been experimenting with beats and sounds trying to feel my way forward into new creative territory. When I have something to report I will surely let you know. I’ll know when I get there. So far it’s just building on itself. I loved RCVRY but want to push forward and lean into things a bit more. Grow and reach a little further. I want to add joy into the mix of truth and beauty for my music. Joy is sort of elusive I think. You can’t fake it. So we’ll see where it all goes…
Happy New Year, friends.