Hey Secret Sparring Society—we’re getting there on this project. Promise. Raised her up for final keel work. She’s looking like a sailing yacht! Whoop whoop.
If you just found our very engaging little community, please read SPARS & SPARRING, .….it introduces my wonders and my wanders. ~J
Nope—it’s not Sunday. I’m interrupting my accidental boatbuilding project (which is a whole other art form, really) with a worthy musician, a second intro of sorts. You’re receiving this week’s publication one day early for an extraordinary reason– Saturday night this writer will be up late because the keyboard aficionado protagonist of my latest work is performing as he does many times each month. This time, there is much to celebrate—a book debut and a birthday, neither of which should ever go unnoticed. If you’re local to the Chesapeake Bay (sorry you folks down under….!), join an incredibly talented group of musicians AND the debut of “WHO IS JIMMY WARREN?” at a mod little venue in Annapolis, Maryland, 49 West. Signed copies. Admiration. Secrets revealed. No better way to showcase art than energetic vibe and table service.
Jimmy Jacobs and Jimmy Warren have the same talented hands.
Thus far royalties won’t cover the cost of my next tank of gas, but the response from people, the surprise and intrigue from those who know Jimmy well and from those who will never meet him, is reward enough. That’s why writers do what we do. And when people get the jist of this particular story, they’ll buy the book, regret that they didn’t, or neither. (I assure you do NOT have to be a Grateful Dead fan.)
When Jimmy’s dad turned 80, he told his son that ‘if he had regrets about life, it was more for the things he didn’t do than the things he did.’ Throughout the extensive, very personal process of sharing stories and editing the depiction, that quote didn’t come to light and was not included in the original publication. During the revisions, I made sure it got in there.
Mother Nature gifted some of us with musical abilities. Others, such as myself, staying in tune is a hard no. I tell another’s story from their point of view; I’ve practiced, and I have a talent that, honestly, I cannot fully explain; I’m not boasting because it’s rather confounding sometimes and can give me pause. My short intrusion, the time I take as their storyteller, is a tiny percentage of that person’s life. They LIVED THEIR STORY. They CREATED THEIR STORY, whether intentionally or with a random chain of events triggered by ‘sure.’ Most tales never get told.
Me? I’M PASSIONATE ABOUT IT. Fascinated, intrigued, energized, moved by the stories people have underneath calm demeanors and outwardly ordinary lives, people who, day to day, walk by you on the street and stand behind you in the grocery store; they hear the same bad news and yet prevail with their strengths and talents that no one even realizes because they still have to eat and drive and pay their rent and no one has time to consider the past when it’s hard to contemplate a shaky future and then their talents diminish with each passing year of misuse, (or do they), and everyone comes to believe that the story is not worth telling but it probably is, whether to a meeting or a friend or an author or whoever you think might be your Higher Power, it’s worthy, I tell you. Maybe more than worthy.
Stories don’t have to be printed, they just have to be shared, reflected upon, considered, learned from and noted, remembered, respected, archived and MOST IMPORTANTLY, listened to. Do we listen? Most folks are simply looking for someone to make them feel important. While I understand, deeply, that time is a valuable commodity, it is the only cost of listening to a fellow human being who simply needs a kind audience and to feel like they matter. STEADFAST is visible and accessible enough that we have folks, boat-loving folks, strangers, wanderers, and friends drop by and simply start reminiscing, telling tales from Navy service to piano repair, fortunes lost to dreams come true. They’re looking for a commonality and an audience. Both can be hard to find.
Nine weeks ago in a moment of madness I signed up for an online class called “The Science of Happiness.” My first session is still in an open tab, stuck on the ‘pause’ icon thirty minutes into my trip down joyful lane. I should have known that there was not enough room for that this month. I wanted there to be. We all chase happiness, don’t we? What IS the science of happiness? Perhaps my warm, fuzzy, Carpenter-bee loving self was secretly a little appalled that it was a science instead of an art form. The happiness professorial team are so determined to hear from me that they send emails begging for a continuation of the education I never got and didn’t need. I’m kick-ass happy this weekend to be signing books with storied pianist Jimmy Jacobs aka Jimmy Warren aka Jimmy Johnson aka…we all get to showcase our art.
Rather late last night two folks knocked on the port hull of Miss STEADFAST just as I started editing this piece. I didn’t have time for a visit, but as I peered down, a lifetime of politeness prevailed. They requested a tour, told their story—two pilots with a newly acquired passion and 46’ Vagabond sailboat under repair (by other people). Their enthusiasm was genuine; their timeframe will be longer than they expect. We talked SPARRING WITH MOTHER NATURE, they climbed down the ladder with contact info tucked away—STEADFAST’s story, if they choose to access it, and my own. Whether they ever contact me or not, I’m glad I took the time.
Next time someone needs to be listened to, it just might be worthwhile, or it just might be you. ~J
Happy Hippies everywhere. Jimmy tickles those ivories with no sheet music in sight, ever, and very talented Birthday Man Dean Rosenthal is on the left.
***** WHO IS JIMMY WARREN? is an “All Access” back stage pass to the music scene of the 70s and 80s. It’s also a page-turning thriller with danger and heart-pounding adventure! Lon Holmberg
***** I loved the way this was told….What a life Jimmy lived. So glad he decided to tell his story. Definitely a different time…buy this book! Debby
It’s not simple or easy to put great stories into words. If you think I string them together in a worthwhile fashion, you can support my assorted writing endeavors, as some of you already do with a thumbs up, a comment, a purchase, a re-stack or an upgrade—whatever works for you works for me.
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