Leaning Toward Wisdom



Somewhere along the way is a terrific lyric and song title by the band, DAWES. Click play on that video and give it a listen.

These are the last lyrics to the song...

But somewhere along the way I started to smile again

I don't remember when

Somewhere along the way

Things will turn out just fine

I know it's true this time

So many things happen somewhere along the way. The older we get, the further up the trail we travel. Somewhere along the way just about anything and everything happens. Things we didn't bargain for. Other things we caused. Intentionally. Unintentionally.

Every life consists of the good, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful. It's the dramatic contrasts that make up every life. Life may be a highway, but it's not quite like that open, clear and straight stretch. Well, not for long. Our lives have bumps, twists, turns, potholes and hazards. Unlike Waze, which warns us, life doesn't always provide ample notice.

But today I'm not concentrating on the downside. Or the unexpected drama. Instead, I'm thinking of the things we've been able to figure out somewhere along the way. The lessons we learned. The growth we experienced. All because we're on this highway of our life with more road ahead of us to traverse. Feeling the need, if not the urgency, to get it even more figured out so we can have the best journey possible.

Today, and I suppose every day, it should be about our collective efforts to help each other figure it out so we can make the trip profitable, impactful and memorable.

Do you know what's mostly missing from that featured image for today's show? People. There are no people in that image and that makes the trip boring, unprofitable and pretty worthless.

This morning I had a long breakfast meeting with one of my former clients - one of my very favorite former clients. We spent considerable time talking about relationships and why we matter to each other. Not just he and I, but why so many people in our lives matter. We both know it's because somewhere along the way we needed somebody, and somewhere along the way, we were needed by somebody.

Let's face it. It's not all sunshine and rainbows. There's a considerable amount of hatred, bigotry, and judgment. Somewhere along the way, we lost our compassion. Somewhere along the way, grace gave way to harsh condemnation. Somewhere along the way many of us lost our way in how to build meaningful relationships with others.

Somewhere along the way we lost our willingness to cut each other some slack.

Somewhere along the way we lost our curiosity to confirm whether our assumptions or conclusions were accurate or not.

Somewhere along the way we lost our way toward living more deeply honest lives, opting instead for Internet fame measured by followers, shares and likes.

Somewhere along the way we lost our humanity. Our hearts grew colder, more judgmental and bitter. Resentment overtook us and somewhere along the way we embraced feeling victimized. We surrendered our hearts and our control over our own choices.

Of course, we didn't all lose it. Or surrender it. But it's growing increasingly difficult to guard our hearts and protect ourselves from the hatred, intolerance and harsh judgment.

Somewhere along the way lots of people got lost. I watched Operation Toussaint on Amazon Prime the other day. It's a documentary about Tim Ballard, an ex-Homeland Security officer who is now the founder and CEO of Operation Underground Railroad, a non-profit dedicated to rescuing enslaved children. According to Tim, the population of enslaved people is higher today than at any other time in human history. According to AntiSlavery.org, there are an estimated 5 million children enslaved throughout the world.

The title is a line from William Faulkner’s 1930 novel, As I Lay Dying. I don’t know if you believe in an afterlife or not. But the line Faulkner wrote during the 168 or so odd hours he spent writing this story, from the hours of midnight to 4 am over the course of six weeks, captures not only our imagination but our emotions. It’s not lost on me that 168 hours is also the number of hours in one week. Nor is it lost on me that this work was produced in 1929 while Faulkner while worked night shifts at the University of Mississippi Power House. I suppose keeping tabs on a power plant at night isn’t arduous enough work to prevent a writer from writing. But then again, perhaps nothing is powerful enough to prevent a true writer from writing. He’d just gotten married and was only 32.

I’m well past 32, but the line he wrote in the wee hours of one night in 1929 provides sober notions of what really matters in our life. And provides some sense of urgency about what we must do with life in this sphere.

In 2016 a TED talk was published featuring Robert Waldinger, the current director of a 75-year study on adult development. In the presentation, Dr. Waldinger, a psychiatrist, asks and answers the question, “What makes a good life?” I only take issue with the lack of spiritual considerations, but you should take about 13 minutes and watch it. Spoiler alert: it’s relationships!

It’s not money. Or fame. Or power. It’s people. It’s connection.

From a work perspective – and even a personal perspective – our lives are largely measured by the people in our lives. Those we surround ourselves with. Those who allow us to surround them.

“Memory believes before knowing remembers.” 

That’s another line from the novel. Brilliant enough to make me envious of Faulkner’s wordsmithing talents.

Leaning toward wisdom is hard work. Doable, but hard.

This is about living. It’s about living in a way where we have far more great moments than not. Where we’re impacting people by helping them achieve levels of success unlikely without us. Where our family, friends and other people we care about are positively influenced by us. Where encouragement is high.

I'm driven by two words: legacy and significance.

I don’t consider Faulkner’s words to be so morose.  I consider them challenging. Challenging us to get to the heart of the matter. To face the reality of why do what we do, or why we make the choices we make. Of all the things we could be doing instead of whatever it is we’re doing — we’re choosing to do this. Why?

Death is the end of life here. If we assume we’ll live to be 80 or older, it’s not a lot of time. You’re likely between the ages of 27 and 70. Maybe you’re younger. Maybe older. No matter. You’re either statistically ahead of the “death curve” or behind it. Meaning, you’ve either got more future in front of you than past, or you’ve got more past behind you than future in front of you. This timeline of life is always moving us further up the road toward the end. It’s our reality. All of us.

What Are You Doing With Your Time?

The crux of my work with CEO’s, business owners and leaders isn’t time management. For starters, I don’t believe in it. Not for myself anyway. I prioritize on the fly. Always have. I scan what’s happening and immediately (with speed) put the urgent and important thing up at the very top. Urgent but less important things tend to not be considered urgent for me. I have trouble labeling anything urgent that isn’t important. Illustration: I was out and about and my gas light came on. I pulled into a gas station and fueled up. The morning 38-ounce water bottle I had emptied was catching up with me. I had the urge, but the gas station was one of those cashier booth only kind of places. So I fill up and head toward home.

I'm going to blow things up and reassemble them, hopefully with a much faster design with an intense focus on mobile experiences. My hosting service - purchased from MapleGrove Partners - is crazy fast and great. I love it. You should buy it if you're looking for rock solid, inexpensive hosting that is ridiculously secure. I don't get a single penny for recommending it, but you should buy it today!

But my site is bloated. It happens. Wordpress is terrific and I've loved it for many, many years. However, things accumulate. Premium themes, even great ones, have limitations that require extensive plugins, unless you're a hardcore developer/coder (I'm not). Page loads slow down. Queries pile up to the sky. Things don't play as nicely as they once did.

So it's time to blow it up and reboot with a fresh no-nonsense approach. Mobile users, which now accounts for 63% of web users with 37% consuming their content on a desktop. That was the last study I saw back last summer. I'm quite certain that the mobile number is rising and the desktop number will continue to come down.

When we're on a mobile device we don't stop to admire the pretty design. We simply want to get what we're after. Minimalism works. Fancy doesn't.

Brace yourself because I'm going for speed, speed, speed and ease, ease, ease for folks who visit this website. I won't be posting anything until I get it done and I can't promise the site will look like much of anything as I'm working the kinks out. I'm keeping it live instead of opting for some maintenance plugin. No need to make things more cumbersome than necessary.

I'll be back as soon as I've got things mostly under control. In the meantime, if you're not yet inside the private Facebook group, now would be a great time to join so you can keep up with what's happening.

RC

Help The Yellow Studio & The Leaning Toward Wisdom Podcast Get A Rode Rodecaster Pro

Now that Sweetwater has the unit, I'm linking up their E-gift-card link (you can enter ANY amount you want): https://www.sweetwater.com/shop/gift-cards/email

Use email: [email protected]

 

The Reward - For A Special Leaning Toward Wisdom (LTW) Episode

• 10-minute Skype call with me (30 minutes if you donate $25 or more)

• The topic: tell me about a time when somebody really encouraged you in a meaningful way

• This will provide content for a special episode about encouragement

• I'll include your name and any links you care to promote (or if you prefer, you can remain anonymous because I still want the stories)

It's the power of others. And it includes the power of others to help the LTW podcast.

Thank you for all your support!

Denny Crane wouldn't change one thing about himself. Alan Shore, James Spader's character, asks Denny what he'd change about himself. Denny replies, "Nothing." That's why he's one of the greatest TV characters of all time. Denny Crane epitomized self-confidence, but more importantly...he was completely comfortable, no, pleased...about who and what he is. Genius! I miss that show, Boston Legal.

It's a good question though.

As kids we'd throw a ball at a buddy and shout, "Think quick." So let me throw you a question with the same challenge, "Think quick!"

What would you change about yourself? 

I doubt I've got any Denny Crane types listening to my podcast. If I do, let me hear from ya! ;)

The entire self-help (ahem, personal development) industry is based on the truth that most of us (maybe ALL of us) would change something about ourselves. Sometimes we know what it might be. Other times we might be stumped. We just know this ain't it.

Mostly, I suspect people are aware of what they'd like to change...they just aren't sure how. I was taught, through books when I was still a kid, that successful people don’t obsess about how. They mostly focus on who can help them, and get very focused on what they want to accomplish. I confess that was hard for me because...well, I was a teenager. I didn't have a network of people who could or would help me figure it out. Whatever IT may be.

“Make the most of yourself....for that is all there is of you.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

I started reading self-help books when I was young. I don't remember the first one I read, but it was very likely, How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie. I'm pretty sure I started reading them because I was curious about improving myself. Truth be told, I wanted to be better. Denny Crane moments didn't often occur in my life as a kid. They still don't. ;)

There are so many things I'd change about myself that I doubt an Excel spreadsheet has the computing power to database them all. And yet I'm comfortable - especially at this age - with who and what I am. I'm a walking contradiction like that, I guess.

Sitting here inside The Yellow Studio listening to an album by Francis King that came out last year, Ask For The Moon, I started thinking more deeply and specifically about it. "Asking for the moon" is tantamount to asking for something that is seemingly impossible. At the very least, it's quite difficult. Are there changes you'd make in yourself that seem impossible? Or very difficult?

With Francis singing to me through my headphones I started thinking how making big changes - seemingly impossible ones - are most worthwhile. I started to think back to the books and my attraction to that section of the bookstores, SELF-HELP. So I pondered it, took a stroll through my bookshelves and concluded - perhaps incorrectly, I'm not sure - that Stephen Covey's 1989 bestseller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, may have been among the first to distill a variety of notions put forth by the self-help crowd. I'm not saying it was the first book to capture my attention or even the first content I seriously consumed and considered. Not by a long shot.

“I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, 'Where’s the self-help section?' She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.”  ― Steven Wright

My maternal grandfather had some books on a little table by his evening chair. Guys had evening chairs back in the day. Maybe they still do. I've not had a chair (that's dad's chair) since my kids were toddlers. I've only had one and that one was it. I'm so deprived, no wonder there are so many things I would change about myself? :D

“Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Do not bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessor...

Last year I kept thinking about encouragement. It seems everywhere I went people were craving it. We all need it, but it seemed to me that very few among us are accomplished at giving it.

The idea preoccupied me, especially the last half of 2018. I ended up registering the domain, CravingEncouragement.com, determined to do something - a project. I'm still not sure, but I am sure of three things, and this is where my ASK comes into play.

One, I'm sure of the power of others. Fact is, we need each other. Likely more than we realize. Rich people, poor people, successful people, failed people, old, young, men, women, children - we're all CRAVING encouragement. And not the "rah rah" cheerleader kind of stuff, but the power of thoughtful confidence expressed by somebody who matters to us.

Two, we can learn to do better. We all know we want encouragement, but we're not all very good at giving it. We can be more thoughtful, more mindful, and more aware. We can step outside of our own lives and notice others. We need to be busy learning. It will benefit all of us.

Three, I've been podcasting for 20 years or more. I put my first audio file online in 1997. I'm not sure when it all morphed into *podcasting*. Recently, an Australian company - RODE - introduced a product (an all-in-one-solution-for-podcasters), Rodecaster Pro. It's $599 and available at one of my favorite online retailers, Sweetwater.com.

It would simplify my workflow, allow me to ditch many feet of cables and a rack of gear. And I'm not being greedy, but I'm being honest and open. I would like one and I'm asking you to help me get one. Not because I need your money (well, not entirely), but because of that first point - the power of others. The listeners of LTW through the years have often said, "You're not selling anything. What's going on?" Nope. I'm not selling anything. Just trying to provoke me and you, the listener, to lean toward wisdom and away from foolishness.

I appreciate you listening.

Help The Yellow Studio & The Leaning Toward Wisdom Podcast Get A Rode Rodecaster Pro

Now that Sweetwater has the unit, I'm linking up their E-gift-card link (you can enter ANY amount you want): https://www.sweetwater.com/shop/gift-cards/email

Use email: [email protected]

 

The Reward - For A Special Leaning Toward Wisdom (LTW) Episode

• 10-minute Skype call with me (30 minutes if you donate $25 or more)

• The topic: tell me about a time when somebody really encouraged you in a meaningful way

• This will provide content for a special episode about encouragement

• I'll include your name and any links you care to promote (or if you prefer, you can remain anonymous because I still want the stories)

It's the power of others. And it includes the power of others to help the LTW podcast.

Thank you for all your support!

The other night was listening to music (shocker, I know!). Specifically, I found myself listening to some older rock and roll. Dexter Freebish's "What Do You See?" popped into my ears. It's not a great song, but the question is a good one, and one I often work hard to help people wrestle with in my day job of executive coaching. Here are the lyrics to it:

You might think you could be happy someday

But you don't know how to look the other way

What do you see

When the rain falls down onto the ground each day

What do you see

When the sun don't shine and you cannot find your way

You work a crap job, you don't know why

You listen to them scream and you listen to them yell

You watch them create your own little private hell

You follow your orders, you never blink an eye

But you don't know how to look the other way

You might think you could be happy someday

What do you see

What do you see

When the sun don't shine and you cannot find your way

When the rain falls down onto the ground each day

You wonder how you're gonna make it through the week

You go to bed, but you cannot sleep

You finally doze off, you fall into a dream

You are the puppet who wants to cut its strings

What do you see

When the sun don't shine and you cannot find your way

What do you see

When the rain falls down onto the ground each day

Vision versus blind spots is a common theme for me. It's something that comes up daily in my work. But it also seems to dominate my personal life. That whole "it's what you don't know that'll hurt you" thing.

My entire life I've fixated on what I know versus what I don't know. My curiosity is driven by it because I'm painfully aware of how ignorant I am about so many things. Ignorant, not stupid.

Ignorance is a willingness to learn. Stupidity is the inability to learn.

Well, that's not entirely correct, but it's kinda sorta correct. We're all ignorant about many things, but they're things we could learn if we're willing. We're all stupid about some things, too. Like me and calculus. I lack the ability to learn it. I also lack the interest to learn it. Some things are just beyond me because of the depths of my stupidity.

Time is my enemy with ignorance. There are so many things I'm ignorant about, but I'm willing to correct many of them. When your ignorance is so vast, time is the issue. I need to live to be about 1.000. I'm resigned that I'll die not knowing many things. I'm okay with it. Mostly because what am I going to do if I'm NOT okay with it?

But today, it's not about time. It's about sight. Namely, it's about what you see versus what you don't see. Which is largely the same thing as what you know versus what you don't. Or what you believe versus what you don't believe.

Since this Ballard Street was published some years ago I've joked with people, "I'm Nelson." It's true. I'm a lifelong dot-connector, always trying to make sense of things. Even things that make no sense. Especially when it comes to human behavior. And I'm often reminded that sometimes people behave crazily, to which friends will admonish me.

"If it made sense to you, then you'd be as nuts as them."

True. Yet I can still go crazy trying to figure it out.

Largely my life is a commitment to the quest - to figure it out. Whatever IT may be.

Think of a time when you thought you had it figured out, but something shocking happened, showing you that you were way off base.

I know it's happened to you. Perhaps it happened about another person. You thought you understand the context of their life but realized there were important things you did not know. Things that completely altered how you viewed them.

"I just got one last thing, I urge all of you, all of you, to enjoy your life, the precious moments you have. To spend each day with some laughter and some thought, to get you're emotions going."   - Jim Valvano

Jimmy V was an NCAA basketball coach for North Carolina State who died of cancer in 1993. He was just 47 years old, likely most known today for that famous ESPY award acceptance speech he gave just weeks prior to his death. It's 11 and a half minutes you should watch. Even if you've seen it before. Jimmy V's punchline was always, "Don't give up. Don't ever give up!"

The man was known for his enthusiasm and emotion. He didn't have a stoic demeanor. ;)

He was an obvious extrovert. Stereotypical of his Italian heritage.

I'm neither Italian nor extroverted. Rather I'm an introvert who can often appear like an extrovert. I'm still trying to figure out how all that works. Personality, mind, thoughts - all that neurological stuff fascinates me.

Emotions are easy for me. Always have been. Like so many things that make up who and what I am, I lean into them.

I don't know if I cry every day, but I will likely cry more days than not.

I laugh daily.

It's not hard for me to get my emotions going. Mostly, I'm able to do that with ease. I'm even fairly proficient at reigning them in. Somewhat.

I was reading, thinking and doing a bit of writing over the holidays. As I ruminated about my own emotions I had a realization. I've never been prone to making decisions - certainly not big decisions - whenever emotions are really going.

I laugh whenever people claim they don't make "emotional decisions." Yes, you do. We all do. Well, maybe not if you're a psychopath. Or is it sociopath? Let's look up the difference 'cause I always get those confused.

Okay, here we go. This is from HealthyPlace.com -

Psychopathy can be thought of as a more severe form of sociopathy with more symptoms. Therefore, all psychopaths are sociopaths but sociopaths are not necessarily psychopaths.

According to the Society for the Study of Psychopathy, psychopath traits include:

Lack of guilt/remorse

Lack of empathy

Lack of deep emotional attachments

Narcissism

Superficial charm

Dishonesty

Manipulativeness

Reckless risk-taking

Psychopaths, for example, are far more likely to get in trouble with the law while sociopaths are much more likely to blend in with society.

The article says that 93% of psychopaths are in the criminal justice system. I suppose that should be a relief, but I worry about that 7 % still out there. And how do they know they're all accounted for? That's the really big question.

But let's hop out of this rabbit hole, back onto our topic of getting our emotions going.

I talking about this because I get sick of folks claiming "being emotional" is a downside. Clear language would help. What they mean is being overly emotional or being so emotional you're losing control. At least that's what I think they mean. But that's not what they say. Which is why I think Jimmy V's comments are so spot on.

Today I'm focused on the questions that fuel our emotions. I realize questions may not always be the impetus, but the more I think about it the more I'm convinced they often are at the heart of them.

Watching one of those true crime shows on the ID channel late one night the homicide detectives were talking about how hard it is to notify next of kin. It showed them approach the home of a mother whose daughter was found murdered. Her emotions sparked by such horrible news were obvious. She remarked, "What am I going to do? What am I going to do?" It's a big question we've all asked when bad news comes.

We were both shy of being 21, but only by months. It was January 2, 1978. I instantly regretted being talked into wearing a white suit because black is way more slimming. Besides, I look like I belong behind the wheel of a Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am instead of being at a marriage altar with that blonde.

You don't care about the details. You're here for the stories. So am I. And I'm not really in the business of telling love stories, but you know LTW began as a "legacy project" and this is a monumental part of my legacy - my marriage to a girl I started dating when we were both 18. That picture of us is day 3 of our dating. It was the summer - July 4th to be exact - of 1975. I was done. Smitten. By the way, that's a straw in my mouth. Again, I should have been wearing black, but it was a hot summer day in Oklahoma so I opted for lighter colors. A dumb, dumb choice!

As much as I'd like to make this about me - or us, this couple pictured above - I think I'll go on record for the umpteenth time to express my love of the girl I married, Rhonda. Then I'll veer into more general wisdom talk - talk of the power of a spouse, the value of marriage and how a man and a woman can benefit each other more and more over time through mutual commitment and love.

2018 was a challenging year for us, as it may have been for many of you. Some of you endured health hardships. Others financial burdens. Some experienced the dissolution of their marriage. Still, others got married. It's all that "one man's ceiling is another man's floor" thing.

I confess that 2018 was a ridiculously pivotal year in many ways for me professionally. I made some serious decisions to take my career in a new direction. I've talked about that at GrowGreat.com so you can always go check that out if you care. Making such a pivot isn't easy. But it's exciting.

Personally, Rhonda and I faced some personal challenges that we've never faced before. We're still standing together though, arm in arm and hand in hand. Because from the moment we began to date, we were committed to each other. After that first date, neither of us ever dated anybody else. From July 2, 1975, through yesterday, January 2, 2019, we've been a couple. Funny the wisdom you can exercise when you're just 17. It was clearly a decision I got right. Her? Well, that's quite debatable. If that girl pictured had known what she was in for, she may have made better choices. But I'm glad she committed. There hasn't been a day pass that I've not been devoted to earning her respect and making her happy. I don't succeed as often as I'd like, but my commitment is sure. I love her more today than I did in either of those pictures and that's saying something because I was very in love in both of those photos.

We're weathered and worn today, but life does that. We know so much more. We've seen so much more. Wisdom has never been deeper for us, often coming at a price we'd preferred not to pay. Such is life.

The Power Of A Spouse

Through the years I've sat down with many couples asking me to help them sort through a variety of problems. As a leader in a local church, it just goes with the role. Knowledge, wisdom and experience have taught me the power of a spouse, but I can't speak of it (or even think of it) without recognizing the biggest reason marriages struggle.

Selfishness.

Nothing disrupts the power of two people enjoined together as husband and wife more. Nothing.

It's the corruption behind every betrayal and disturbance. Selfishness. Self-centeredness. Self-absorption.

The power of a spouse is the power to put the needs, desires and wants of another person ahead of your own.

Nothing everybody is willing to do that. Or to sustain it over the long haul. The power of a spouse is evidence of the power of selflessness. Self-LESS-ness.

Help The Yellow Studio & The Leaning Toward Wisdom Podcast Get A Rode Rodecaster Pro

Now that Sweetwater has the unit, I'm linking up their E-gift-card link (you can enter ANY amount you want): https://www.sweetwater.com/shop/gift-cards/email

Use email: [email protected]

The Reward - For A Special Leaning Toward Wisdom (LTW) Episode

• 10-minute Skype call with me (20 minutes if you donate $25 or more)

• The topic: tell me about a time when somebody really encouraged you in a meaningful way

• This will provide content for a special episode about encouragement

• I'll include your name and any links you care to promote (or if you prefer, you can remain anonymous because I still want the stories)

It's the power of others. And it includes the power of others to help the LTW podcast.

Let's talk about ENCOURAGEMENT today. It's going to be the big theme for me in 2019. That's why I'm crowd-sourcing a special episode (and crowd-sourcing upgrading The Yellow Studio).

I'm leaning into the power of the collective in a major way this year. Professionally, I'm working to launch some peer advisory groups of small business owners from all over the U.S. If you're interested in learning more, visit ThePeerAdvantage.com.

Let's start a micro-revolution of ENCOURAGEMENT this year.

THANK YOU!

Help me get a Rode Rodecaster Pro from Sweetwater. 

Click the image or click here! You can enter any amount you'd like. Thanks in advance!

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In 1977 a singer I knew as a background singer released her first solo record, Just A Stone's Throw Away. She had been singing with some of my favorite artists. People like Linda Ronstadt, Don Henley, Little Feat, Jackson Browne, and James Taylor. Her name was Valerie Carter. She was 24.

In 1980 Jackson Browne released a famous song, "That Girl Could Sing," which was likely about Valerie. She battled drug addiction for years. She died in 2017. She was 64.

Track number 3 on that debut record is a song, "Heartache." Click here to listen to the song. Today's show title is a lyric from that song. Valerie, like you and me, knew heartache. Lowell George of Little Feat co-wrote the song.

We're not going to end the year on a downer note. Instead, we're going to be optimistic. Not because we stick our head in the sand, but because we're strong enough to face the realities of our pain and heartache. And the reality that for some of us 2018 was a grand year of heartache.

Valerie sang that lyric directly to Heartache.

"Heartache, find another place to be. I'm tired of being your best friend."

She's tired of providing the landing place for heartache. Tired of embracing heartache as her best friend. It's a breakup song with heartache.

Is there any better time to give heartache the heave-ho? Here at the end of the year?

Ditching heartache isn't nearly so neat and tidy. Would that we could just make up our mind to be done with it. Not so easy.

2018 brought some of us extraordinary heartache. I know some LTW listeners who lost spouses. Some who suffered betrayal from a spouse. Some who endured heavy financial strains. Others who lost jobs. Some endured the heartache of loved ones addicted to drugs. Some were diagnosed with diseases. Heartache knows no bounds. It touches all of us, in a variety of ways.

Songs of trouble and heartache resonate with us because it's such a universal experience. As I was listening to Valerie sing the song responsible for today's podcast title, I thought of other songs. Ry Cooder's song, "Trouble, You Can't Fool Me" from his 1979 album, Bop Til You Drop. And there's the song I always think of by Mat Kerney, from his 2009 album, City Of Black & White. The song, "Closer To Love" contains the line, "We're all one phone call from our knees." It depicts a phone call that buckles us, causes us such heartache we can't even stand on our feet.

Going Here

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There are classics like "Lean On Me" by Bill Withers, released on his album, Still Bill, circa 1972. All of us can relate to the lyrics.

Sometimes in our lives we all have pain

We all have sorrow

But if we are wise

We know that there's always tomorrow

Lean on me, when you're not strong

And I'll be your friend

I'll help you carry on