TX-try again

If you search through this blog back a couple of months, you'll find a story of the shack fam getting ready to leave to go to La Grange, TX (ZZ top?) and the day before we left, the transmission went out on the car we had planned to take. Long story short, it turns out the people we were to go play for realized that it wasn't as great a time for them either, so now we're leaving tomorrow to make up for that gig.

We're taking a friend and spending the night with another friend in Austin on the way down and leaving the friend we're taking there. Then, on the way back we'll spend the night in Austin again and pick up the first friend and come back to Arkansas.

For those of you who don't know, Holly and I used to do this sort of extended weekend/gig/trips all the time. I mean ALL THE TIME, like every weekend. It was a good living. We met lots of great people and felt to be of some use. It's harder now.

I'm older...Road weary...maybe a little jaded... (a little?!?) For all of the great things that life held, there were an awful lot of hoops to jump and an awful lot of crap to wade through.

I often struggle with the fact that I made the best living I've ever made when I was in the thick of all of that. Not only that, but I received loads of affirmation and encouragement from people who, for some reason, thought that was worthy of their financial/emotional/spiritual support. I just figure that money and accolades are never the best reasons to pursue something.

I think this weekend will be good. We're leading music for 3rd-8th graders. Kids are cool. If you stand in front of them with a guitar, they figure you must be a rock star. :)