Time flies. Wow.
February 12, 2020 (my last blog post). 291 days, 25,142,400 seconds. 419,040 minutes. 6984 hours. 79.51% of the year. A universe apart. Everything has changed. It's a new world. Not necessarily a better one. A new world. But I am grateful. No make that very grateful. No again. Make me that "off-the-charts-grateful" for all that I have. I thank G-d every day.
A vaccine for Covid-19? I think so. Coming in 2021. I know companies like Pfizer, Moderna, Astra Zeneca and many others are pushing science and research to its limits in their attempts to quell this deadly pandemic.
Amidst this changing world, there have been many constants - each one playing a major role in my sanity. Family. Friends. Work. Health. Love. Yes to all. And then there is music - something that's always soothed me. Here are some riveting music clips - each with the why.
1. Amnesty Concert, Maple Leaf Gardens. 1988. Click here. The why. My first concert in Canada, 6 weeks after I arrived. I had no money. Jumped the turnstile. Somehow landed up 9 rows from the stage. Peter Chapman. Sting. The Boss. Tracy Chapman. Youssou N'Dour. All singing for the human cause. Wow!
2. One. U2 and Mary J. Blige. Click here. Guttural Bono at his very best. Mary - sensual and passionate. All in One. You gotta love this one.
3. Chuck Mangione. Feels so good. Click here. Born exactly on this day in 1940 in Rochester, New York - this is a feel good piece - like no other. Chuck - happy 80th birthday buddy.
4. One hundred ways. James Ingram. A great soul song. Click here. Note the words "Bein' cool won't help you keep a love warm. You'll just blow your only chance. Take the time to open up your heart. That's the secret of romance" Been married to Karen, the love of my life for over 26 years and still going strong.
5. David Bowie. Starman. Click here. Not gonna say much, as I've said it before --- see here - a post I wrote a week after his death in 2016. A musical icon. Gone. Not forgotten.
6. Asimbonanga. Jonny Clegg. Click here. A haunting song. A riveting song. Skip to 4:07 in the clip (if you must) to see Nelson himself make an appearance. Clegg, a South African musical icon --- just a few years older than me. Sadly, he passed away July 16, 2019. Taken too soon. Cancer.
7. Eminem. Lose Yourself. Click here. It's hardcore - motivational. Never seem to get tired of listening it it. The opening lyrics ... "Look. If you had One shot. Or one opportunity. To seize everything you ever wanted. In one moment. Would you capture it. Or just let it slip?"
Is this list exhaustive? For sure not. It's just a listing a songs I've listened to and clips I've watched frequently in the past 9 months.
Stay safe. Stay sane. Stay healthy.
