Musicians and Friends, What Are You Thankful For In Your Life?

Yeah,Yeah, you're thinking I'm getting all weird now. Hardly. I'm not very reflective about things,or contemplative about life either. All I know is you need to think about what you have in your life, not what you don't have. You may not be a cash-flush musician that sells a hundred thousand albums a year, or gets paid a hundred G's a gig either. So what!

Okay, you're a working musician that plays gigs, plays local jams and enjoys the company of other musicians. You even have a regular job and a significant other. I think you have a lot. What if you're a 40 something musician who has either arthritis or even a horrible disease. Think about it this way. Again, so what! You're still alive. If you have the big "C" meaning Cancer, learn all you can to take care of yourself despite that, and keep playing because it's the thing you love most. Arthritis is nothing. Again, take care of yourself. Stretch,workout and eat properly. You'll be a better musician if you do. I have bouts of Arthritis and do what I need to take care of myself properly daily.  

I know some of you will be saying your Disease is debilitating and you can't play at all. Stop whining, and do what I said. Take care of yourself. If you can't play do something else in music. Write songs, help other musicians locally by teaching them or start a music business. There are alternatives. What are you thankful for? I'm thankful for being able to go and listen to great blues musicians locally. I live in a free country and there's no Government hauling me in for questioning for no reason. I can do what I want for the most part. I can drink good beer. I'm Canadian, and good beer is something we have plenty of here in good old Canada, eh? 

I'm also thankful for Fresh, clean water and nutritious foods here where I live in Canada, which is so important to be thankful for. We should be thanking our lucky stars that Farmers are able to give us food, with farm land dwindling, when it should be expanding.

Still think I'm being weird?

Look at the things in your house or Apartment that you have and you can see right now. Maybe an Air Conditioner, a Cell Phone and a Computer with World-Wide access. Your place keeps you warm and dry away from the elements. Think about those who don't have anything. People on the street. Now, anyone can get food but a lot of people on the street don't usually have toothpaste, clean toothbrushes, soap and shampoo.  As well they don't usually have a small First-Aid Kit that can be carried in a small back pack. A survival kit is important, and from time to time I buy these items to give out to homeless people.

Doesn't cost a lot. You can buy small first aid kits for less than 10 bucks at Wally's. That's Walmart guys. Be thankful for what you have guys no matter how much you have. Get together with friends or family and feed a family for a month. I personally think though that if the government made it easier for business to hire people without all the red tape, and payroll taxes which are incessant, that it would liberate more people and they would be able to hire more employees or start their own business.

For now, if you have a business and can afford to take on an employee but the payroll taxes are killing you financially, just take them on as an independent contractor. You make people more productive and feel better about themselves, and are able to help the economy. Then people will be thanking you.

So think about what you are thankful for. Yeah, I'm thankful for having a good family and friends and being able to help musicians in my town and others.

Mark Grove