I am bummed.
As a kid of the 80's, I grew up with awesome music in my life. Prince stands out as a strong influence but there was this band called REO Speedwagon that has left a mark in my life well beyond my own teenage and young adult years.
You can look up the history of the band and see the members who have come and gone and those circumstances. What I have in my heart today is the people I know because of REO.
REO was the first concert my husband and I attended together and when we had kids, we shared common ground in the music of the 80's. Little did my husband know what would happen when he bought our girls a video for Christmas which was a behind-the-scenes account of REO Speedwagon. They were almost 14 years old and the internet was just becoming a "thing" so Katie found the internet space for one of the founding members and became quite active on it. At that time, he was chatting with people and he noticed this girl who seemed to love music and held her own with the adults on the board. She mentioned that we had given the girls tickets to a local concert for their January birthday and long story short, he let us know we would have backstage passes to meet the band afterward.
Talk about excitement! The concert was about 3 hours away from us so it was an overnight trip and the girls didn't sleep much the night before. The day of the concert they were both so excited they could hardly sit still. It was a magical night and the first of many times that we would be blessed with "meet and greet" opportunities. Sara met the bass player who is an awesome human being and her bass-playing path was started big time.
I know there are so many stereotypes about musicians and rock musicians and I am sure that some of those stories have truth to them but not "our" rock stars. They were kind to our daughters and to us and so many others that I have come to know because of the music of this band. The lasting friendships I have made personally fill my heart. You can hear more about this in my podcast episode HERE that I released over the weekend.
Looking back, I am so thankful for this time our family had together. How many teenagers attend the same concerts as their parents and enjoy it? I would bet there aren't too many.
Well, all good things must come to an end and it was recently announced that the band would not be touring after this year. I am heartbroken for many reasons and selfishly want them to keep going but circumstances are making it impossible. As I try to look at the positive side, the music keeps going even if the band doesn't. If you listen to the podcast, you'll know my spring ritual with my car which has become even more special now.
I guess it's time to roll with these changes and keep living every moment. (Yes, that's where I first heard that phrase and adopted it as a mantra for my own life.)
I hope you all can find something that unites your family, friends or other people in general. Maybe you already have. Leave a comment to share what unites you with other people in your life. I would love to see what you share!
This week on the Midlife with Courage Podcast I did something a little bit different-I interviewed a man. I will admit, it wasn't an easy decision but I'm glad I did. Robert J. Hunt has some great insight and a story to share that you will want to hear. You can listen in to our conversation on my podcast page starting tomorrow morning at 7am.
And oh by the way, Robert has a free book for the first TWO listeners who contact him through the link in the show notes.
My hope for you this week is that you find peace within and share it with the world.
Until next time, take care of your beautiful self!
~Kim~
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