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Comfortable with NOT Having It All

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Stevie Wonder Songs in Key of Life

Stevie Wonder “Songs in Key of Life”

R&B Education (continued)

I have probably mentioned a few times that I missed most of the pop music of my generation.  It is only in the last ten years that I have begun to catch up on the fabulous sound track of the baby boomers.  Fortunately, David is committed to my education and has hustled me into live (if middle-aged) performances of The Eagles, The Police, Van Morrison, Willie Nelson, Dwight Yokum, Asleep At the Wheel, Martha and the Vandellas, Jeff Beck, The Beach Boys, and, now, Stevie Wonder.

David ordered tickets months ago for Stevie Wonder’s “Songs in the Key of Life” Performance Tour (see linked review).    In great anticipation, we left home three hours before the 8 p.m. show time. There should have been plenty of time for the one and a half hour drive, but due to icy roads and unbelievable traffic, we did not get parked in the hideously managed Palace of Auburn Hills parking lot until almost 9 p.m.  Oiy!  Lucky for us, the show did not start until 9:15, allowing the audience to get into their seats.

Stevie Wonder Comes Home

Before the music began, Stevie Wonder told the audience,  “This is my hometown area … I’m a little, like, not nervous. I’m excited!”  We felt it.  He was truly fabulous last night. His silver trumpet voice is as good now as it was in any recording I have heard.  The 43-piece band and six very hot backup singers shook the Arena to the rafters.  I loved every moment.

Stevie Wonder Concert

But it was almost 11 p.m. by intermission.  David turned to me and said, ” I just don’t know if I want to fight an hour of traffic getting out of the parking lot, and then a two-hour drive home.  We won’t be home until 3:30 a.m., and we have to get up and install a dog fence in 15 degree weather tomorrow morning.”  So we left.  If we were in our twenties we would have stayed, but we are in our sixties.

Cinderella Time Comes Earlier

We hated leaving early. We missed most of his biggest hits and the audience sing-a-long. The reviews say the second half was jaw dropping.  But, here is the good part about getting older: We are OK with our decision.  We know we can’t do it all or have it all, yet we know we have done a lot and have a lot.  We experienced a great concert, but we don’t have to suffer all week with the physical after effects of overdoing it.

We don’t bounce back as fast as we used to.  We know our bodies and how to pace ourselves.  It just isn’t worth making ourselves sick to get every last thrill out of a show.  And we are smart enough to know when we put ourselves at risk.

Knowing the Tradeoffs

Someone in the aging industry once told me as we age our options get fewer.  The window of choices gets narrower.  In the case of Stevie Wonder we chose self-maintenance over the complete experience.  I think it is a sign of graceful aging and maybe even a bit of wisdom that we have gotten comfortable with NOT having it all.  We don’t need more.  We have enough, and that is pretty darn good.

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