Who really said it best, John Lennon or Tom Petty?
Note: wrote this yesterday (Saturday) but had to go as things progressed!
As I sit high above San Francisco in a labor & delivery room at UCSF (which, by the way, has a very nice view, see photo), I have two phrases in my head (among other things): John Lennon’s “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans,” and Tom Petty’s “The waiting is the hardest part.”
Which feels more appropriate? I have to go with John Lennon. In fact, it’s not even close. I mean, two days ago, my biggest concerns were a freelance gig I had just finished, but wasn’t sure had gone super well, and a song that refused to be written. Today, while neither of these seems trivial at all, they have been definitively tossed into the backseat of life as Catherine’s labor progresses. Most likely, this will be my last post for a bit -- a few days at least -- but throughout the next hours, days, weeks, months and years, I hope to write ad amuseum about three things: family, music and friends and about how they will form the new core or my life, replacing Career. Yes, I will still work -- have to, want to -- but I vow never again to let it dictate my every move, as it once did. And even though John Lennon was right about life, I will continue to make plans, but I will strive to not let their being changed by forces beyond my control bother me so much, as it once did. Most important, I vow to stop always trying to wait until things are just right before doing anything (except for my album!).
As I sit high above San Francisco in a labor & delivery room at UCSF (which, by the way, has a very nice view, see photo), I have two phrases in my head (among other things): John Lennon’s “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans,” and Tom Petty’s “The waiting is the hardest part.”
Which feels more appropriate? I have to go with John Lennon. In fact, it’s not even close. I mean, two days ago, my biggest concerns were a freelance gig I had just finished, but wasn’t sure had gone super well, and a song that refused to be written. Today, while neither of these seems trivial at all, they have been definitively tossed into the backseat of life as Catherine’s labor progresses. Most likely, this will be my last post for a bit -- a few days at least -- but throughout the next hours, days, weeks, months and years, I hope to write ad amuseum about three things: family, music and friends and about how they will form the new core or my life, replacing Career. Yes, I will still work -- have to, want to -- but I vow never again to let it dictate my every move, as it once did. And even though John Lennon was right about life, I will continue to make plans, but I will strive to not let their being changed by forces beyond my control bother me so much, as it once did. Most important, I vow to stop always trying to wait until things are just right before doing anything (except for my album!).
Off to visit the babies!