MY FAVORITE QUOTES
My Current WoW
The Unexpected Sting of Generosity
As the warm glow of the restaurant's lights bathed our table, laughter and the clinking...
My Drug of Choice
As a nine-year-old, I received a Roy Rogers guitar for Christmas, complete with an instruction...
Burnt Toast
   As I sat in my favorite chair in our sunroom, I was mesmerized by the...
Awakening to Life’s Pivotable Moments
Awakening to Life's Pivotal Moments Life has a way of presenting us with crucial crossroads,...
A Journey Through Pages
 A Journey Through Pages: From Coal Camp Comics to Audiobook Adventures Picture this: a young...
A Selfless Act of Friendship
One holiday weekend, a dear friend found herself stranded with a flat tire, facing a...
Knowing Your X-Factor
Emily Dickinson said, “Hope is that thing with feathers,” and I agreed with her. I...
🎵 The Magic of Music 🎵
Recently, I stumbled upon an article about the "Magic of Music," and let me tell...
🎋Embracing the Golden Years-A Humorous Reflection🎋
I haven't worried about Monday mornings on Sunday evenings for eighteen glorious years. That's how...
🎋Cherishing The Little Things🎋
🔱I have been guilty of ignoring “the little things” in life. That does not include,...
Guest Missives
Playing Santa Clause… by Larry Fields
I remember tearing across town on my to visit Grandma on the day my big...
Visiting Grandma… by JoAnn
My only grandmother was my mother's mom when I was a young child. When I...
Snow Baby… by JoAnn
Yesterday was my granddaughter Taylor's 18th birthday. I still feel a sense of shock at...
Heavy Package… by JoAnn
Suppose we could compartmentalize all of our worries, problems, jobs, etc., into neat little packages;...
Lonely Books… by JoAnn
A few weeks ago, I went to my favorite Goodwill store. I shopped all over...
The Empty Cup… by JoAnn
Recently, a sweet young lady whom I consider a family friend made a post on...
Special Boy!!! by JoAnn
In January 2015, my first and only grandson was born. I drove almost 7 hours...
Homemade & Heartfelt… by JoAnn
Two days after Christmas, I decided to sit down and make some homemade ornaments. It...
Holidays Feel Different… by JoAnn
For the last couple of weeks, I have struggled with the sometimes negative effects of...
Christmas Magic… by JoAnn
I once heard a wise adult say that Christmas is for children. That always stuck...
![Tommy's Window on The World A smiley face wearing a cowboy hat and bandana.](https://tommyhale.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Word-Icon-blue.jpg)
AS MY WORLD TURNS
My Drug of Choice
As a nine-year-old, I received a Roy Rogers guitar for Christmas, complete with an instruction book. Despite my initial excitement and daily practice, I struggled to make progress. Living in a small coal mining camp of about 50 people, I had no one to turn to for guidance. My school teacher played piano, and my uncle played the fiddle, but neither could help with the guitar. Eventually, the instrument was relegated to the closet, forgotten over time.
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Fast forward 45 years, and I was in my mid-fifties, divorced, and with ample free time. An article about dementia prevention caught my attention, suggesting that playing a musical instrument could help reduce the risk. That sparked my motivation to visit local thrift shops, acquire a used guitar, and seek out a teacher.
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Learning to Play
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Being a self-proclaimed hillbilly, I naturally gravitated towards country music and made this preference clear to my new instructor. For about 18 months, I took lessons, often joking that I had to slide the check under the door before being allowed in. Despite my teacher's apparent need for earmuffs, I persevered and was pleased with my progress. Eventually, I moved to a new city and continued practicing independently.
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Guitar Collection
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My passion for guitars grew, and at one point, I owned four instruments simultaneously. That led to tension with my wife, who questioned the necessity of multiple guitars. My witty retort comparing guitars to kitchen dishes did not smooth things over. To appease her, I gave my least favorite guitar to a relative interested in learning. However, my wife remained skeptical about my need for more than one instrument.
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Electric vs. Acoustic
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My favorite guitar is electric, much to my wife's chagrin. She complains about the noise, but I personally enjoy the volume. It may seem counterintuitive for someone my age to prefer loud music, but it is a passion I cannot deny.
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The Joy of Music
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While my practice schedule has become less consistent, I hope never to quit playing entirely. Music brings immense joy to my life, and I firmly believe that a life without music is like a life without sunshine. The guitar has become more than just an instrument; it is a source of happiness and a way to keep my mind sharp as I age. It is indeed, my drug of choice!
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