Month: December 2021

Old Places, Old Friends, New Friends, GOOD.

On By jeff ludlumIn Attitude, Happy, lifestyle, mental health, parentingLeave a comment

This written about three years back; I’ve since gone throughout divorce and now on reset. But you know, all of this sentiment still holds.

It’s the people in your life that matter. GOOD.

“Spent part of this past weekend with a few of my wife’s old friends. Good little bunch of folks, nice to have the time with them.

Super cool to see old friends together, easy rapport, recollections, new chapters shared too. I love having those moments with my peeps too; but really, just as inspiring to watch it happen with those who mean the most to you. Good Times.

Old places — in this case, Santa Cruz — old one the sense that it’s familiar, but also not a place I get to very often. Cool place to re-connect, cool place to hang and soak up the stories.

As we round out the year and the decade, good time to remember what matters most in this life: the people we’re with and the stories we share.

Here’s to the 20’s arriving shortly, and all the possibilities, all the good.”

Yep. ALL GOOD.

How Far?

On By jeff ludlumIn Attitude, faith, voicesLeave a comment

How far to go,

To fit in,

To understand,

To find peace of mind,

To figure out the problem,

To solve the puzzle,

To believe,

TO BELIEVE,

To believe that God came among us,

That God is among us,

That God is with us every minute of every day, that God is here, right here,

How far do you have to stretch you mind to imagine,

To believe?

I believe.

He Is Near

On By jeff ludlumIn Attitude, faith, family, Happy, Insight, mental health, parenting, voicesLeave a comment

As we barrel toward another Christmas, I’m mostly distracted. It’s piling up,

the year-end pressure and demands at work,

the bustle of getting gifts together for the kids,

getting the menus together for three holiday meals,

And on and on,

And yet he is near,

We celebrate the crossover time,

When God came, and remains to this day, with us,

Everything else will sort itself out,

I keep after it,

And keep central in my mind, heart, soul,

He is near.

One Two Three Out

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One two three, out and about,

One two three, out of school, just no doubt,

Out out out,

It’s where to be, how to be,

Out in front, on your list, your goals, things to do,

Better that way I’m telling you,

Match and sync and out you go,

Out you go, don’t you know,

To make it good again today,

One two three out,

That’s what I say.

Special Spots

On By jeff ludlumIn Attitude, mental health, nature, parenting, PlaceLeave a comment

Like the coast,

Like the mountains, the wilderness over all,

Like the warm darkness of my morning meditation and exercise space,

Like the dinner table with the kids, with a friend,

At your desk getting a bit of work done,

Scribbling down ideas on a parking lot in the cold night air,

Sitting in the hallway on front of the wall heater, starting the day, talking together,

Just about anywhere can be a special spot,

Make it so.

Lyrics Post: “Stairway to Cleveland”

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A long while back — true enough, it HAS been a long time…

This band from the San Francisco Bay Area — where I’ve called home the whole of my life — they went through iterations…and as rock pop was blossoming in the 1980’s…Jefferson Starship was well in the mix,

and this song was the last track on their “Modern Times” album…and I can recall LOVING this song…

and it occurs to me, it’s similar to other super fast, many words songs…but this one, it made it for me, super happy to have found this one again…let’s go up the stairway —

“Stairway To Cleveland”

Whatcha gonna do about Cleveland?
Whatcha gonna do about rock & roll?
Whatcha gonna do about crazy crazy?
Whatcha gonna do about it?
Hey we gotta a new band – a new face – a new time!
Sing a song of rock & roll & drive us all crazy
People tell me everything I need to know about

Rock & roll
Politics n’ all about our new band
But some people never happy “don’t like it” – “didn’t see it” oh oh
They had to make a comment!

Your new drummer’s crazy, your manager’s an asshole! get a new shirt?
I can’t stand your guitar player!
Rolling stone, village voice, picky picky picky!
Said we can’t sing, can’t play, can’t write anyway!
New name – old name – carry on, with such insane fuckers everywhere,

Whatcha gonna do about it?
Whatcha gonna do about crazy crazy?
Whatcha gonna do about romance?
Whatcha gonna do about tense moments?

So I gotta new girl blonde girl big mouth big heart y’know I like her,
But they say she’s too noisy, atomic girl!… atomic girl!
New York – L.A. times rock & roll magazines, said we couldn’t make it
But here we go again on rock and roll radio, rock and roll radio,
People tell me everything I need to hear about what we need, what we
Got, what we’re never gonna get

Old singers gone away – whatcha gonna do about it? gold records rock &
Roll n’ why dontcha sound like you used to in ’65? ’69? ’75?
Everybody stand up, they got to make a comment, critics said they’ll
Never make it, never make it, never never never never never never never
Never never!

Fuck you! we do what we want!
Chaos comin’, keep strummin’, louder & louder & louder & louder,
Whatcha gonna do about it? whatcha gonna do about crazy crazy? whatcha
Gonna do about it? whatcha gonna do about dark ages? whatcha gonna do
About nite time? whatcha gonna do about Walter Cronkite? whatcha gonna
Do about romance? whatcha gonna do about the economic price index?
Whatcha gonna do about llluuuuuv? whatcha gonna do about tense moments?
Whatcha gonna do about crazy crazy crazy crazy?

Whatcha gonna do about it? [7x]
War & toxic chemicals and mister Rogers n’ true love n’ the end of
Civilization n’ muzak n’ the ptl club n’ Ronald Reagan n’ guns n’ the
Draft, b52’s n’ nuclear fission dc-10’s n’ cancer science fiction brain
Control drugs n’ sex n’ buddha n’ 714s 45s eight billion people jesus
Krishna n’ everybody n’ rock and roll surrealism – everything
Everything everything everything!

Fuck you! we do what we want!

writers: Jefferson Starship in 1976 (left to right: Pete Sears, David Freiberg, Paul Kantner, Marty Balin, Grace Slick, Craig Chaquico, and John Barbata)

Simple Things

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I wake up in the darkness; I feel unsure, uncertain of the next day, the next moment. Sometimes that darkness stays with me the whole of the day.

I turn to simple things, repeatedly, to find light, and joy. A mix of temporal and permanent, these simple things.

Fresh, hot coffee,

The crackle of the pot as it percolates,

Singing Jimmy Buffett to the kids,

The gentle sounds of the wall heater as it comes to life,

My daughter’s artistry and maturity,

My other daughter’s rap songs and dance,

My son’s fears blossomed to bravery,

A couple rainy days,

The smell of wet dogs,

Another sip,

Blissful slumber.

God everywhere.

Strange Solace

On By jeff ludlumIn art, Attitude, business, Happy, Insight, mental health, nature, voices, workLeave a comment

Working in the warehouse today, standing in-between the looming racks of material,
pallets up high, down low, also looses boxes neatly stacked. I’m between PL1 and PL2.

Gray, rainy day outside, much needed rain for our drought-stricken state. The weather turned wet yesterday, and is expected to continue throughout today.

Near the location I’m working in the vast warehouse to stage material, there is an eight-inch pipe running
parallel one of the main beams that goes floor to ceiling.

When I was here early morning, I could hear the water from the rain on the roof running
down the pipe. Strangely soothing.

The gentle sound has persisted through the morning. It’s in the background, quite subtle, but steady, most welcome,

Welcome solace to the workday pace, heightened as year-end approaches.

Find a little peace, a little joy where you can, every minute, every day.