Keep Your Dreams Alive - episode 50
Men in March
I think when you start any new endeavor it’s natural to turn to your loved ones to get you started and give you a boost. That is certainly true of Unabashed You. Today’s guest is Mark. We met when we were teenagers and have stayed friends since. Close friends. Close enough that neither one of us blinked when we had major technical difficulties recording this episode. It took 8 takes and 2 different recording programs to get it done. We just laughed our way through it. While Mark and I grew up together in San Diego, he has since lived in Hawaii, LA, NY and now in Connecticut. His partner of 10 years is Patrick, and I whole-heartedly approve. They are wonderful together. And last but not least his dog Truman, his buddy, is 15 years old. He has a full life, and dreams to be pursued.
I am reminded Mark also recorded a couple of Christmas songs during COVID. He really is gifted and I say that empirically. We used to dabble in songwriting together, back in the day, and it was clear to me he was the talented one. But it was still fun! And we recently discovered we could sing the duet we wrote (And When I Say) that in our minds at least, has stood the test of time. I wrote lyrics (he did the music) to recover from someone who didn’t seem to love me as much as I loved him. Oh the joys of young heartbreak! Anytime you can dabble in something new or something you did in your past that you’d like to pick up again, be encouraged to do so. As we know life is short and there’s no reason to live with regret. Wayne Gretzky said, You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
Introspective. Creative. Enthusiastic.
— Mark
Mark and I recording via Zoom (remember slight delay when we try to sing together) for the Blog - Audio Option featured above.
And When I Say…
Thoughts from Keep Your Dreams Alive
So we should all have dreams. And they can come true in a multitude of ways. Not everyone is destined for Broadway or the big screen. What matters is you have passion and a desire to do a thing, to express yourself. And you don’t let fear stop you because you don’t think (or someone told you) you’re not good enough. This doesn’t fly. If you like it; do it.
Now let’s be clear. You don’t even have to actually be good at the thing you want to do. That’s the best part. If it brings you joy then by all means, do it. Dance. Sing. Write. Act. Paint… you get the idea.
That brings me to the time Mark and I talked about when we were in our youth trying our hand at songwriting. I don’t think we had any goals to become professional by any stretch of the imagination, we simply wanted to express ourselves. And love that isn’t quite right is a great source of material! So we thought it would be fun to really put ourselves out there and share with you the first song we wrote, the only one we still remember. 😂
And When I Say
Once you really love someone
Being alone doesn’t hold
The same satisfaction
As a deep sharing union of souls
Aloneness has its advantages
But I am not afraid
These feelings have nothing to do with standing on my own
And when I say that I need you
It’s because at that point in time I do
And when I say that I need you
It’s a strength of
Not a weakness
Of love
That is youth ladies and gentlemen. Dabbling in something we wanted to explore. Guess what? The best part is you do not have to be young to attempt the things you are interested in. (Plus you don’t have to be any good!) Go be creative with something, anything. I bet you will get a kick out of it, it will satisfy something in you AND bring you joy in the process. A total win any way you look at it. 👏🏻
Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes and having fun.
— Mary Lou Cook
