Still Is Still Moving To Me

Still is still moving to me
And I swim like a fish in the sea all the time
But if that's what it takes to be free I don't mind
Still is still moving to me.

Years ago when I was younger, single, and better looking, I was a member of a health club up in Carson City, NV. I was in great shape because I worked out every day. One of the machines I used was a cross country treadmill. Now this was similar to an ordinary treadmill, but would start to incline as you were walking on it. My legs would burn with pain as I would do the uphill climb. From time to time it would level out on a plateau, which would give me a little relief even though I was still walking. I think a steady uphill climb would have been too difficult had it not been for those plateaus where the treadmill leveled back out.

Still is still moving to me.

I learned a lesson about life from that treadmill. Life is an uphill climb and a struggle. We battle with work, relationships, finances, and aging. Sometimes in our uphill climbs, we reach that plateau where we should be relaxing. However, we tend to look at those plateaus as setbacks, failures or stagnation and get discouraged with ourselves and life. We should be using that time to catch our breath and prepare for the next incline that life is going to put in front of us.

Still is still moving to me

Life is a journey not a destination. It is great to set goals, but don't forget to live along the way. Be still a little more. It's when we are still that we hear God speaking to us. Still is still moving to me.

I can be moving or I can be still
But still is still moving to me
Still is still moving to me

Remembering to be still is... on this cowboys mind.



(Willie Nelson: Still Is Still Moving To Me)

State Of Mind

Walkin' down a lonely highway
Not feeling alone
Thinkin' back when things went my way
And not the road I'm on
Well, I've been down a time or two,
But it never lasts long
I can always make it through
On a wing and a prayer and a song

I had a friend ask me how I got the idea to post a song lyric with my blogs. Well, for me it was a simple answer. I believe music can be a very powerful form of therapy. Now I am no doctor, but I can speak from my own experiences. I spend a lot of time in my truck during the day and I always have the radio on. For some reason, I am able to relate a song to something on my mind or something going on in my life or in the world. I might listen to a news clip and then a particular song comes into my head. Or I might hear a song that makes me think back to a event in my past.

I don't know if it's a gift or a curse, but I can quote song lyrics like a preacher quotes the Bible. My wife teases me because I can hear a song one time and just about recite the whole thing. The music therapy works for me though. I love a well written song lyric that doesn't just entertain, but speaks to me. Music can bring back a memory. It can take you to another place in time. It can change your state of mind.

Ain't it funny how a melody
Can bring back a memory
Take you to another place in time
Completely change your state of mind

Making it through on a wing and a prayer and a song is... on this cowboys mind



(Clint Black: State Of Mind)

Proud Souls

I believe in ghosts and democracy
And that each man should leave his legacy
That mans work be great or be it small

Recently, and with much prayer, my wife and I have decided to look for a new church home. I didn't realize how difficult of a decision this would be. The thing that kept us at our old church was our Sunday School class. It finally got to the point where we would go to Sunday School then leave and go home without going to church. Wanting to raise our daughter actively in church, we decided it was time to make a change.

I knew that we would find another church, but my fear was losing my Sunday School friends. We have become very close to several other families in the class, and I didn't want to lose those friends over church politics. I believe in standing up and fighting for what you believe in, but I also know that sometimes, in order to keep peace, you just have to walk away from a situation. Sometimes that walking away can save friendships.

Church has always been my recharge for the next week. When I don't go, I don't get my recharge, and it shows in my week. I can't be passionate about something that is not recharging me spiritually.

Although my faith is strong, it has taken a beating over the past few years. I am hoping that a new home will not only recharge my passion, but also heal the bruises in my faith. After all, we all have the same goal right?

If everyone should be together
Then no one would be alone
Life's a lot of trade offs in the end
Somewhere in the fields of Heaven
Proud souls laugh and love together
Somewhere between passion and losing friends

Becoming a proud soul again is... on this cowboys mind.


(Proud Souls: Cross Canadian Ragweed)

Rollin' With The Flow

Once was a thought inside my head
Fore I'd reach thirty I'd be dead.
But somehow on and on I go
I keep on rollin' with the flow.

For about the last month I have been really bummed out. When I get down, my mind starts playing back other low moments in my life to make me feel worse. I have to remember to "forget" the past and put it behind me so that I can keep on rollin' with the flow of life.

My daughter was born with pneumonia and in ICU for 3 weeks back in 1999. I didn't know if she was going to live or not, but I keep on rollin with the flow.

I have had several business ventures go bad that have cost me dearly financially, but I keep on rollin' with the flow.

My wife was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis a couple of years back. I live with the fear that one day she may be crippled and in a wheelchair, but I keep on rollin' with the flow.

I have watched disease and drugs take the lives of close friends and relatives, but I keep on rollin' with the flow.

I have been betrayed by people close to me, but I keep on rollin' with the flow.

Some may wonder what it is that keeps me going. Well first of all, it is my strong religious beliefs. My daughter that nearly died at birth teaches me faith, patients, and forgiveness everyday. I have learned more from her than she could ever learn from me. Those business ventures have taught me life long lessons in work ethics and that it is not just about making money, but also giving back. My wife, even with RA, sees and brings out the good in me, even when I don't see it myself. She is a prime example that disease does not have to rule your life. Those friends and family that suffered have taught me the value of life and to live each day to its fullest. Those that betrayed me just reminded me that my faith is in God and not man. That's how I keep on rollin' with the flow.

I've got a lot of crazy friends
And they forgive me of my sins
Some might be calling me a bum
But I'm still out there having fun
And Jesus loves me yes I know
So I keep on rollin' with the flow

The only constant in life is constant change. Adjusting and rollin' with the flow is... on this cowboys mind.


(Rollin' With The Flow: Charlie Rich)