Are you a Mark Twain kind of guy, or just a guy going down the road?

[Mark E Rhodes]

Songwriting allows one to have a why and also just go down the road.
My "job" is play guitar every day. (I don't get paid for it---I'm retired. I mean that I play guitar every day and if I do that, the rest is gravy.)
Some days I write songs but other days I don't. I keep my eyes open, never knowing when the next aha moment will surprise me.

Burton Rascoe said, "...a writer is working even when he's starting out the window."

 

[Killing Floor]

I don’t yet fully understand why. But I am on my way and trying to pack it in, pack it out, leave the place a little nicer than I found it.

And I am a fiend for Mark Twain.

My absolute favorite is the less popular but most entertaining The Innocents Abroad. Love that book.

“The gentle reader will never, never know what a consummate *** he can become until he goes abroad.”

“I never felt so fervently thankful, so soothed, so tranquil, so filled with a blessed peace, as I did yesterday when I learned that Michael Angelo was dead.”

 

[soundchaser59]

His "never let the truth get in the way of a good story" quote, kinda says it all about him.

referring to the mainstream media of his day, no doubt.

 

[aging_rocker]

Every day that I wake up, I'm grateful for.

I then try to have the best day I can, despite the world often conspiring against me.
I try to be a good guy, and not piss anyone off. I have variable success with that.
I try not to overthink things.

Rinse & repeat...

One day I won't wake up, but I won't care. Others might...

 

[1955]

I used to know. Thought I was born to be an entertainer. Hate to say it, but the general public does not deserve to be entertained anymore. I was an overachiever, now I’m just over.

When I was a kid I was suspicious of authority. Now I am completely distrustful of all groups, authority figures, motives, etc.

I gave 100 percent. I didn’t let my purpose down, bad people without a conscience let me down, over and over.

Everyday I work my butt off. I don’t take lunch, most days I don’t even stop for a minute to drink a water or go to the bathroom. I live to a higher standard.

I am saddened and disappointed by human beings. Not all, of course, just…most. And yet, I still have rock solid faith that I wil fulfill my purpose. I was created to lift others up. I already did that.

My purpose is to take care of my family and my pets, and, since nobody has played nice with the things I care about, if nothing else, than to rain a fire of words down with a helluva plan b.

In other words, I am going to finally become a dancer. I was born for the pole and the glitter and AC/DC songs over and over haha.

 

[Toto'sDad]

I used to know. Thought I was born to be an entertainer. Hate to say it, but the general public does not deserve to be entertained anymore. I was an overachiever, now I’m just over.

When I was a kid I was suspicious of authority. Now I am completely distrustful of all groups, authority figures, motives, etc.

I gave 100 percent. I didn’t let my purpose down, bad people without a conscience let me down, over and over.

Everyday I work my butt off. I don’t take lunch, most days I don’t even stop for a minute to drink a water or go to the bathroom. I live to a higher standard.

I am saddened and disappointed by human beings. Not all, of course, just…most. And yet, I still have rock solid faith that I wil fulfill my purpose. I was created to lift others up. I already did that.

My purpose is to take care of my family and my pets, and, since nobody has played nice with the things I care about, if nothing else, than to rain a fire of words down with a helluva plan b.

In other words, I am going to finally become a dancer. I was born for the pole and the glitter and AC/DC songs over and over haha.

Uh on that pole thing 1955, a man has GOT to know his limitations.

 

[Cesspit]

Me, I'm a nobody. I know of six people who would be upset if I died tomorrow, that would last about six months. Such is my impact on this brilliant but confusing world.

Thing is I am comfortable with that, even though I know I don't fit in anymore.
Happy days....

 

[HoodieMcFoodie]

Mark Twain is quoted as having said. “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”

I don't really want to know why I was born. That's between my mum and my dad. And since they're both gone there's no way of knowing. And how do you even ask them that question anyway?

 

[trapdoor2]

I live a life of adventure, always have. 99.44% may look mundane from your perspective...but I'm having fun. I'm walking thru that puddle, testing my balance on a curb, chasing squirrels.

I just bought a beat up canoe, I'll be on the neighborhood pond with a fishing pole tomorrow. Don't care if I catch anything.

 

[rand z]

referring to the mainstream media of his day, no doubt.

Yes.

He started out as a reporter out west.

 

[rand z]

Huh. We seem to have more in common than I thought.

The older I get, the more i embrace apathy as a lifestyle. Not much excites me anymore.

I don't know?

Take a long walk in the woods... or, by the sea.

And breathe deeply.

imo.

 

[Manual Slim]

 

[Jupiter]

I got three points on this topic:

1. My dad died at the age of 49 after a long fight with brain cancer when I was 19, and for whatever reason I got it into my head that I’d live maybe that long. I’m kinda surprised to still be here! Makes me wish I’d planned a bit more for retirement... But anyway, the gift I got from that early loss was the bone-deep conviction that time is short. I still waste plenty of it, but I tell ya, I’m at least PAYING ATTENTION.

2. Humans are in the strange situation of being able to say and think absolutely absurd things. “Why are we here?” is a question that our brains are able to formulate like any reasonable question, but it really is a nonsense question; no sensible answer exists, but we assume it does because it’s such an easy question to think of.

3. I was in my 20s when the Indigo Girls came out with this:

There’s more than one answer to these questions
Pointing me in a crooked line
And the less I seek my source for some definitive
The closer I am to fine​

At the time I thought maybe that was a cop-out, but the older I get the more I believe they were really onto something.

[...]when you find out what happens between a girl's legs, it'll wreck your life.

GB, all joking aside, the first time you told this story, it took about three days for it to fully sink in how true that little nugget has proven to be in my life...

 

[1guy]

Interesting thread...

Let me start by saying I really like and appreciate this forum. I've been on others with mostly younger people, who are still full of themselves, and haven't had enough life experiences to make some of the outlandish claims they've made. It's nice to be amongst adults.

I used to believe in the lyrics of Bob Marley, "Life is one big road with lots of signs".

Then I noticed how often I missed my exit, got flats, and ran outta gas, but still got further down the road inspite of myself.

Then as I got older, I started seeing life as a river. The current would take you downstream eventually, but it's up to you to steer the rudder to keep yourself off the sandbars...I let go of the rudder way to often.

At 60, I've had an interesting and exciting life, but with health and financial insecurities rearing their heads, I'm facing my final chapter with a sense of trepidation.

I'm at a point, where I don't know what my purpose was/is, or if I even achieved it. Sometimes I think my purpose was to raise the kids who would do "something".

Wish I had some profound words of wisdom to share, but I'm just rambling.

The one thing I DO know is if reincarnation is real, no matter how great my next life could be, I would hate to do this all over again.

 

[Archtops]

I’m a basker. So I’m of the latter.

 

[String Tree]

Mark Twain is quoted as having said. “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” I used to read voraciously as a kid, and as a young man clear up into my forties, even some into my fifties. Then one day I realized that somehow I had missed it, I had grown old without ever acquiring the wisdom of the ages that is a theme running through many works of literature.

I simply don't see a lot of the beauty my wife sees in the world. I don't have the feelings many have, I'm permanently selfish, perhaps because I was raised as an only child. How about you, do you look at a group photograph and see it as a whole, or do you check to see if you look good in the pic? You're supposed to age gracefully, and be a grand sage, dispense words of wisdom, and be a rock for those around you. Me, I just want to hitch up my cargoes and go play golf.

Though I do a lot of things in the way or work around the house, and yard, I have to prod myself to do it, because I'm actually quite comfortable just basking in the warm haze of laziness. I finally ordered some tubes for an amp that I don't care whether it works or not, but somehow felt I should give it a go. I've been going to get around to that for THREE years.

Are you someone who knows WHY he was born in the way Mr. Twain was speaking? Or, are you simply going down the road of life and hoping you ain't on a one way headed into oncoming traffic just over the hill.

I'm a little of both but, I have no idea why.
I try to go peacefully.

 

[getbent]

Interesting thread...

Let me start by saying I really like and appreciate this forum. I've been on others with mostly younger people, who are still full of themselves, and haven't had enough life experiences to make some of the outlandish claims they've made. It's nice to be amongst adults.

I used to believe in the lyrics of Bob Marley, "Life is one big road with lots of signs".

Then I noticed how often I missed my exit, got flats, and ran outta gas, but still got further down the road inspite of myself.

Then as I got older, I started seeing life as a river. The current would take you downstream eventually, but it's up to you to steer the rudder to keep yourself off the sandbars...I let go of the rudder way to often.

At 60, I've had an interesting and exciting life, but with health and financial insecurities rearing their heads, I'm facing my final chapter with a sense of trepidation.

I'm at a point, where I don't know what my purpose was/is, or if I even achieved it. Sometimes I think my purpose was to raise the kids who would do "something".

Wish I had some profound words of wisdom to share, but I'm just rambling.

The one thing I DO know is if reincarnation is real, no matter how great my next life could be, I would hate to do this all over again.

One of my friends is facing a lot of uncertainty at an age where most hope to be slowing things down. He is pretty stoic about it. He told me 'most of my life I've had one crazy thing facing me or the other, why have peace now, it would just mess up my streak.'

I tend to believe I crave stress to feel alive. Whenever things slow down, I seem to take on more responsibility...

 

[BigDaddyLH]

Definitely a flâneur.

 

[telemnemonics]

Twain?
More Dickens-Darwin!
Darwin-Dickens?

Hmmm...

Yeah I'm going with Darwin Dickens 100%

See my Wiki page on the Darwin- Dickens effect:

Unrelated to Hollywood but if a man is to "know" his limitations, how can he be certain he is in enough pain yet?
A man who has passed his limitations is dead, right?
Still alive?
Nope! Not near your limitations yet!

All this foolishness about knowing?
That's just advert copy for survival gear, extreme sport, exercise machines and the queue on Everest.
Darwin and Dickens will show you the path if you really wanna know how far you can go!
And remember, no preparation or half measures allowed...

 

[telemnemonics]

Definitely a flâneur.

Is that a fruity cocktail flaming as it arrives?