Hello on Friday the 13th,
It’s been an incredibly busy couple weeks from returning after traveling cross-country for one trip and having a somewhat-scheduled second one unintentionally postponed, from rescheduling multiple doctors’ appointments to managing others, forgetting some things to remembering others, or sharing my love for food and wine with a restaurant full of people and being part of family during significant moments. I’ve been working diligently with people dear to me as they navigate profoundly stormy waters, and then there are the daily requirements of life. It there ever any simplicity to life? I think there is an actual answer, which while it might seem contradictory, isn’t. There will always be an infinite number of things to occupy our daily existence; there will be people, places, and things that pull us in multiple directions. I remember asking my father what it was like to be retired and he answered saying, “I’m so damn busy I don’t know how I ever found time to go to work.” This is the same person who responded to my mother when she lamented he was always busy. She told him that all those things that pulled him away, insinuating he was being used. His response, which was classic Harry, “They are not using me because if I didn’t want to do it, I wouldn’t.” In his answer is an example of being the Simple Man. My father knew what gave him meaning; he understood people and more importantly, I think he understood himself.
Music and language are the ways I’ve realized do the best when I need to express either my thoughts or emotions. One of my favorite songs is the title of this post, and I was fortunate to see Lynyrd Skynyrd before they lost members in the 1977 plane crash. In the more than 50 years since I experienced their concert, I still find myself as someone who gravitates to the message of “Simple Man,” and my appreciation for the music of Southern Rock ‘n Roll is still strong, but I find my worldly journeys and educational path creates something of a dilemma for me. Certainly the atmosphere of our country, of our world, has caused a division that is more out front than I remember as a child. From faith issues to political concerns, from economic issues to issues of medical care for anyone, there is nothing simple. Regardless your perspective on the Midterm election, I do believe the hard work of governing is only beginning. The breadth of those elected give me a sense of hope, and I am well aware not everyone shares that perspective, but the porridge that is America is both complex and simple. Regardless the background of anyone, as I’ve been profoundly reminded this week, parents love their children and wish for them opportunities they did not have themselves. Whether or not a person is a profoundly faithful individual whose sees a Creator as a significant aspect of their life or the Agnostic who wonders how it all works, when push comes to shove, almost all people hope for, and find themselves yearning for a gracious God.
In the video posted below, which is a live version of the reconfigured, the song, which is a profoundly personal tribute to both a grandmother and mother, two who impressed upon their sons to live life authentically. The fame of musicians and the consequence of that fame is well-known, and while the stereotype of Southern Arena Rock has a reputation for hell-raising, Ronnie Van Zant was known for maintaining a blue-collar “simple” life, one of refusing the pretentiousness that many others fall victim to. The values of honesty, that success should never override values, and one’s reverence to God and family are essential is basic to what some might call the American dream. While the lyrics of Skynyrd’s music certainly celebrate the complexity of our humanity, it simultaneously reveals our storytelling nature as people. In this live video from Jacksonville, Florida, Johnny Van Zant, the younger brother, would become the lead vocalist 10 years later at the request of Gary Rossington and other members. He believed the spirit of his older brother encouraged him to continue on (Rock and Roll Garage – 2018). The video shows more than its fair share of classic southern boy persona, from the fur pelt cap of the bassist to the American flag on both the mic stand and on the vest of the younger brother. From the keyboardist pointing heavenward to Johnny making the sign of the cross as he intones “and don’t forget son there’s something up above.” “God bless the simple man,” he calls out to the Southern crowd. One the impressive things in the video is the connection between the band and the crowd. The musicianship of the band and the seriousness that comes through both the lyrics and their performance pulls me into the story of the song as if I were there. When the crowd sings, “oh won’t you do this if you can” at Van Sant’s bidding their response for an arena crowd is melodically amazing.
It brings me back to the question I pose at the outset. Can I be a simple man? When I ponder incessantly? When I been prone to question everything from early in life? When one of my first therapist’s first interrogatives was “Do you do anything the easy way?” perhaps the only logical answer is no. Certainly either myself or another can argue that’s been the story of my life. There are few times it seems anything came simply, and seldom did either circumstances or did I make them simple, or what most would call without some struggle. Additionally, perhaps most of that is more deterministic than I am comfortable in stating. Such a claim asserts a kind of victim mentality I detest or posits a lack of agency, which again is not something to which I am comfortable. As recently as yesterday, I’ve been asked about my age as well as told I think differently than most. I am not sure if I think differently as much as my conclusions and my evaluations of whom I am are revised by my experiences, which I seldom take at face value. In light of that realization . . .is it possible to answer my opening question affirmatively? Yes, I believe so. Perhaps my father’s response to my mother provides the pathway. If I take the agency I’ve been given, and something we all have for that matter; if I make choices that are consistently based on being the best person I can be to care for those around me and for the world in which I live; if I live a life with a focus on graciousness and gratitude, do I make things easier? If I, in my own piety, concern myself with following the law as necessary for maintaining civility as well as restraining evil (Luther’s first use), I do simplify my life. When I diligently attempt the three things just noted, perhaps I am idealistic enough to believe the world can be better, if only in my own little corner. It is in these ways that not only have simplified life, but perhaps I’ve become the simple man.
Thank you as always for reading, and to my sister, Kris, as it is now the 14th, Happy Heavenly 70th Birthday.
Michael
