Philosophy and Jackson Brown

So, I've struggled a bit with writing this post. I've composed it in my head several times, edited and deleted, all in the space of my brain. Anyway, yesterday, I must have been in an even more philosophical mood than normal (hard to believe, I know.) On my way home, a lesser known Jackson Brown song came on the radio. It is titled "For a Dancer," and a few phrases of the verses struck me harder than usual. So, of course, in the spirit of the 21st century, I figured I'd share them with anyone who cared to read.

The song is really, thematically, anyway, about death. But the first verse that struck me was this:

      "Just do the steps that you've been shown
       By everyone you've ever known
       Until the dance becomes your very own"

This happened to dovetail precisely with what I happen to believe about life in general. That is, every interaction one has with another is a learning opportunity. Whether that experience is good or bad, we must, or at least we should, learn something from it. I'm not a dancer, but the steps I've learned in 43 years are varied and numerous. That includes steps to be taken, as well as steps to be avoided. I don't always do them correctly, but I try very hard to follow the basic rhythm.

I believe I was more or less impacted by this due to two situations. First, I just finished doing a show very different than most of what I've done in the recent past. It was a musical, and I had to sing, alone, on stage. It doesn't diminish the love I have for all the people I work with on stage or behind stage on a regular basis, but this was a different experience. These were folks with whom I couldn't just fall into the same old patterns. Getting to know them and love them was an example of how many steps there are left for me to learn. I thank you, one and all, for that.

Second, I just started a new "temp" gig, in an area in which I have no real experience. Although the job isn't particularly taxing, the terminology is that of "marketing," with which I am not in the least familiar. I am listening, however, and trying to learn. I don't pretend I'll ever love marketing, but I will take what I get from it, and, hopefully apply it in my life.

The other verse which resonated with me was the following:

 "Into a dancer you have grown
   From a seed somebody else has thrown
   Go on ahead and throw some seeds of your own
   And somewhere between the time you arrive
   And the time you go
   May lie a reason you were alive
   But you'll never know "

Which, I think, supplements the former thought. That is, not only do we learn, but we should try to teach. When it comes down to it, the only legacy we will leave in the world is who we touched, and what wisdom, if any, we passed on. So, I guess, I hope that some of the seeds that I have thrown find fertile soil, so I may give back at least some of what I have taken from the world. In the end, it seems that is all we can hope for.

Thanks for reading.