12. This Old Road

 Kris Kristofferson. A songwriting legend. Me and Bobby Mcgee, Sunday Morning Coming Down and countless others. Simple songs that speak to the truth of a life well lived.  This Old Road is a song that he recorded in 1995 and rerecorded in 2006. The 2006 is the better of the two. Several decades past his hits it is a stark and honest look at coming to terms with getting older. Granted I am only 39, but if you are an old soul like me you tend to reflect frequently on the passage of time. It is a late career gem. 

"Look at that old photograph. Is it really you? Smiling like a baby full of dreams" One hell of a first line that immediately drags you in especially if  you have ever found yourself thumbing through old pictures and have a hard time recognizing yourself in your younger days. The song follows up with the regret of some dreams coming true and commenting on the complexities of life. No matter what age you are this song is a reminder to not wish your life away.

I remember being a kid and complaining about school or starting working as an adult. Complaining about the "demands" of weekdays. I would dream of the weekend, getting a license, getting older, reaching adulthood, etc. Always wanting to hit some next milestone because then things will be better or easier.  My Dad once told me, and I am paraphrasing here,  don't wish away the time because if you live for the weekend you are missing 5/7ths of your life.  I laughed it off then, but it was sage advice.  The milestones came and went and I found myself a bit older and wiser dreaming now of the opposite. Wishing that the passage of these milestones would linger a little longer.  My kids are growing older and I miss the days of witnessing their own milestones. I want time to slow. I can only imagine how much faster it will go as I get older. 

Kristofferson says in the song, "looking at a looking glass running out of time on a face you used to know" Yeah, that is the truth. Where does the time go?

#Kristofferson #thisoldroad #slowdown