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03/19/2025

Today’s blog

Lynn Murphy Mark

“This lucky star…”

Every morning as the day starts to unfold I choose music to listen to as I do my reading and reflections. Some days it seems like Bach’s carefully measured notes add some structure to my morning. Other days I’m ok with a musician that I have been listening to for decades. James Taylor is a guy who has made such a musical niche in my brain that I know most of the words to most of his songs, and harmonizing with him is a fun exercise. 

This morning I needed someone who flaunts the requirements of pop songs by creating unusual lyrics and melodies. My go to guy is Lyle Lovett. A good friend introduced me to him sometime in the 1990’s and I have been a fan ever since. His Large Band can play jazzy stuff, gospel, blues and country western style songs. He sings about life as he experiences it with its quirks and comedies. His choice of subjects to sing about is always eclectic and sometimes quite sarcastic and funny.

For years he was accompanied by Francine Reed. Their musical relationship morphed into a friendship that has lasted since 1985. When she is featured it is usually in a conversation where they tell each other off, or, Francine tells him exactly what she thinks he should do. When he sings about someone ugly, she tells him, “Well, you ugly too!” 

This morning the first song up is a typical happy one. He tells us that he has appreciated his life thus far but isn’t quite sure where it will go from here. “I’ve been up so long on this lucky star, it could be all downhill from here!” I share that observation with him. I have had a great run and mostly good luck, but I’m old enough to have seen how life can turn on a dime. Like it did on Monday, when a routine ride to work turned into my Prius being sandwiched between two cars in an unexpected collision. Thankfully there’s no whiplash effect, only a pretty big bruise where my knee hit the steering wheel. It could have been a lot worse.

I think one of my favorites is about how a person can turn life around. It’s about reaching that point when life as it is known is due for a big damn change. The best line is the one where Tonto tells the Lone Ranger to “kiss my ass, I bought a boat, I’m going out to sea…” I think I resonate with that line because I’ve had boat buying moments. Like in 2009, when I decided I’d had enough of Saint Louis gray winters. I pulled up stakes, quit my hospice job, and moved to Santa Fe, where the sun shines 300+ days a year. For the first time in my life I left one job without having another one lined up. The Universe provided me with a school nurse job. It was one of the most challenging and fun jobs. It was the perfect ending to a very long career in nursing.

Speaking of nursing, I have finally decided not to renew my nursing license. I’ve been retired for 10 years with no intention of ever entering the nursing work field again. Really, the only thing I would be qualified for is to answer phones and pass out water. That truth finally came home when the Missouri State Board of Nursing sent me the reminder to renew. Apparently I have reached an inner consensus that I can separate myself from what has been an identity for over 50 years. I will still maintain my nursing-advice-upon-request phone line. After all, I have clients from coast to coast who routinely use this advice line when some mysterious ailment appears.

So, I’ve been up so long on this lucky star that I honestly believe that this blue planet provides me with everything that I need, and nothing that I don’t.