there’s a lesson here

Journal & Musing 1 Minute

“Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you got till it’s gone.” That was Joni Mitchell’s message to the world. Seems no one learned because Counting Crows covered it over 30 years later. People listen to songs like this…but do they listen? Do they pay attention?

It’s not that I didn’t know what I had or even that I should have stayed. It’s that I didn’t realize how much you meant to me, even after three decades of absence, until you died. This loss is profound.

A song popped up on my playlist this afternoon, and it made me think of you. You were as much a fan of Neil Peart as I am, and oddly, I didn’t know that until yesterday. How could we have both loved Rush so much and not known that about each other? I guess we weren’t paying attention.

Anyway, this is for you, Mike.

Published

8 thoughts on “there’s a lesson here”

  1. I had a LaserDisc of that Montreal concert as a kid. I watched it so many times, not because I was the biggest Rush fan but because access to that kind of content was so rare back then, and I was starving for it. I saw them live for the first time last Sunday, bought a same day ticket, the venue about ten mintues from my house. Holy smokes. That was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Geddy Lee was bopping around stage like a man half his age, and having so much fun. And Anika just killed it. I loved that the encore was the first and last songs of the first album, Finding My Way and Working Man. Thinking about going again next week, if he recovers from his bronchitis/laryngitis.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. If I go back, I may snag my daughter and take her with me. She’s turned into a huge music junkie, and is even starting to appreciate dad rock now that she’s discovered it on her own.

        I consider the first three albums to be “my” Rush, if you know what I mean (Rush, Fly By Night, and Caress of Steel). 2112 through Signals is the communal Rush that everyone thinks of as Rush, but I’d never heard any of those albums all the way through, just the hits (which are fantastic, btw). Since the show, I’ve been working my way through their catalogue in sequence. Finished Test for Echo today, so have three to go. This is what happens when I get obsessed with a thing.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I’m definitely not an expert on Rush. I love their hits, though. I read the first half of Geddy Lee’s autobiography, and it was really good. Did you know his name is actually Gary? His parents were Yiddish, and his mom pronounced his name “Geddy”. It stuck. Interesting little tidbit.

        The last concert I went to was Roger Waters sometime around 2014. By far the best concert I’ve ever been to. But Rush would be super cool. Their live performances are incredible.

        Like

  2. That’s a heartbreaking realization, that someone can be so deeply important to you, across decades of distance, and that you don’t fully know the size of that place they held until they’re gone. I’m sorry you’re carrying that kind of loss.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Walt. This one is pretty rough. I’ve talked to a couple of old friends from that time, and they are feeling the same. Something about that closeness from those young years, I guess. We are all devastated. But I get to see them all this weekend for the first time in a VERY long time, so that will be good.

      Like

      Reply

      1. I’m sorry you’re all going through this, but glad you have each other to lean on. I hope seeing everyone this weekend brings you some comfort and peace. Sharing memories is part of the grieving process, and the healing too.

        Liked by 1 person

Leave a comment