Resurrected Roamer

Boy, don't you worry, you'll find yourself Follow your heart and nothing else And you can do this, oh, baby, if you try All that I want for you, my son, is to be satisfied Lynyrd Skynyrd- Simple Man What is special about music is how it can take you out of somewhere you really don't want to stay, and put you where you need to be. It can get you on your feet with your hands raised or calm your spirit so you can lie down and rest. With the earbuds in and your favorite tune playing, nothing else exists. It brings people together around a campfire with a well-tuned guitar among a dozen off-pitched accompanying friends and family.  Some of my most precious memories of growing up are lounging around the house with my parents and brother with speakers blasting everything from country to classic rock and traditional Christmas music. My lovely-voiced mom cleaned the house singing The Chair by George Straight and my dad and I bonded over John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival, ...

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." Theodore Roosevelt said that. He may not have been born into a lower-class family and had the financial struggles that many of us have had to bear but he did struggle with health issues as a boy. Health issues are one of the things I can relate to him on. Although my childhood was primarily a healthy experience, other than every other kid's normal illnesses, my adulthood was a different story.  As I matured certain small signs of ill health began to sneak up on me, starting with migraines that eventually became chronic. After that blood pressure and uncontrollable heart rate entered my life despite not being overweight or having issues with sugar levels. Because I ignored them like an idiot my situation became more and more dire, until I had the first of my three strokes starting in my mid-twenties. Ignoring my problems was no longer a choice, and never should have been.  After a six-month sabbatical following the firs...