[2022-05-03] Getting older
Last Friday, Willie Nelson released his 72nd solo album, A Beautiful Time. Given his age, it's not surprising that the 89-year-old music legend would reflect on his life, aging and mortality.
In the title track, Nelson seems like a man satisfied with his life:
If I ever get home
I'll still love the road
Still love the way that it winds
Now when the last song's been played
I'll look back and say
I sure had a beautiful time
How wonderful to be able to look back on our lives and say, "I sure had a beautiful time."
Today is my oldest brother's birthday. I sent Tim a snippet of "Dusty Bottles" as a way of saying, "It's not so bad getting older." That's how I got started down the rabbit hole of listening to Nelson's entire album—a feel-good collection of songs about life.
In "Dusty Bottles," Nelson focuses on the positives of aging:
There's something to be said for gettin' older
Dusty bottles pour a finer glass of wine
An old beat-up guitar just sounds better
And wisdom only comes with time
I can spot mistakes before they happen
Separate the BS from the truth
I'm learnin' when I need to keep my mouth shut
Like I couldn't in my wild and wasted youth...
Don't get me wrong
Lord, I miss bein' young
But there's somethin' to be said for getting older
And agin' seems to mellow out the mind
Memories are made to sip and savour
And dusty bottles pour a finer glass of wine
There truly is something to be said for getting older, and I'd rather concentrate on the best parts of aging than on the aches and pains. I feel wiser than I did several years ago (and especially since facing cancer). I'm more comfortable being sentimental and telling people I love them. I find it easier to be tender. And I'm more willing to set boundaries.
In "Live Every Day," Nelson offers advice about how to live a good life:
If there's someone you love
You haven't told them
You oughta tell them today
If there's someone you've wronged
And you've not said I'm sorry
It might be a good thing to say
Pick up the phone and send them a message
It's time to make everything right
Live every day like it was your last one
One day you're gonna be right
Tell the people in your life that you love them. Say you're sorry if that's called for. Make everything right. Simple advice.
Finally, in "I Don't Go to Funerals," Nelson looks ahead to what he'll be doing when loved ones are mourning his passing:
I’ll be somewhere singin’ songs with all those friends of mine
Life is great, but I can’t wait to make our memories rhyme
Now those who’ve gone before me will save my place in line
I don’t go to funerals, and I won’t be at mine
He plans to attend a "big ol' pickin' party" with the likes of Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard.
I had no idea that Willie Nelson was as old as he is, nor that he had put out so many albums. I'm even more impressed with the serenity he exudes in A Beautiful Time. The album is worth a listen.
