Wednesday 7th December, 2005
Rod in Concert
Holland, December 2005!
San Sebastian Strings
albums now available on CD! Order
now!
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A Thought for Today
Lonely rivers going to the sea give themselves to many
brooks in passing.
I mentioned last week that I
had recently upgraded my sound systems and I make no apologies for the
fact this move was prompted in part by the piece below.
Now, we've all come across countless e-mail distributed lists telling us
just how we should live our lives. We posted some of them right here
when we ran a "Pass It Along" column a few years back. Some are
excellent, others less so. I think the one below is one of the
more refreshing ones to do the rounds and I hope you enjoy it and take
as much from it as I did.
Thanks to my London-based
daughter Megan for passing it along.
LIFE'S LITTLE INSTRUCTION BOOK
Have a firm handshake.
Look people in the eye.
Sing in the shower.
Own a great stereo system.
If in a fight, hit first and hit hard.
Keep secrets.
Never give up on anybody. Miracles happen everyday.
Always accept an outstretched hand.
Be brave. Even if you're not, pretend to be. No one can tell the
difference.
Whistle.
Avoid sarcastic remarks.
Choose your life's mate carefully. From this one decision will come 90
per cent of all your happiness or misery.
Make it a habit to do nice things for people who will never find out.
Lend only those books you never care to see again.
Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all that they have.
When playing games with children, let them win.
Give people a second chance, but not a third.
Be romantic.
Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
Loosen up. Relax. Except for rare life-and-death matters, nothing is as
important as it first seems.
Don't allow the phone to interrupt important moments. It's there for
your convenience, not the caller's.
Be a good loser.
Be a good winner.
Think twice before burdening a friend with a secret.
When someone hugs you, let them be the first to let go.
Be modest. A lot was accomplished before you were born.
Keep it simple.
Beware of the person who has nothing to lose.
Don't burn bridges. You'll be surprised how many times you have to cross
the same river.
Live your life so that your epitaph could read, No Regrets!
Be bold and courageous. When you look back on life, you'll regret the
things you didn't do more than the one's you did.
Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them.
Remember no one makes it alone. Have a grateful heart and be quick to
acknowledge those who helped you.
Take charge of your attitude. Don't let someone else choose it for you.
Visit friends and relatives when they are in hospital; you need only
stay a few minutes.
Begin each day with God and some of your favorite music.
Once in a while, take the scenic route.
Send a lot of Valentine cards. Sign them, 'Someone who thinks you're
terrific.'
Answer the phone with enthusiasm and energy in your voice.
Keep a note pad and pencil on your bed-side table. Million-dollar ideas
sometimes strike at 3 a.m.
Show respect for everyone who works for a living, regardless of how
trivial their job.
Send your loved ones flowers. Think of a reason later.
Make someone's day by paying the toll for the person in the car behind
you.
Become someone's hero.
Marry only for love.
Count your blessings.
Compliment the meal when you're a guest in someone's home.
Wave at the children on a school bus.
Remember that 80 per cent of the success in any job is based on your
ability to deal with people.
Don't expect life to be fair.
REPORT
BACKS REQUIRED, PLEASE!
This weekend is concert
weekend for those McKuen fans lucky enough to be in Holland. As usual
I'd appreciate some feedback from concert goers so the rest of us
can experience the excitement always engendered by such an event.
The address, as usual, is
kenb@mckuen.com.
Click
on the Stanyan House logo to buy Rod McKuen books, CD's and lots more
Click on the heart logo to
subscribe to the Rod McKuen mailing list
Catch Rod McKuen live!
Click on the links below for details of
concerts and appearances.
ROD McKUEN
CONCERTS
ROD
McKUEN APPEARANCES
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Fay Bainter o
Priscilla Barnes o
Johnny Bench o
Larry Bird o
Ellen Burstyn o
Rod Cameron o
Aaron Carter o
Joyce Carey o
Willa Cather o
Harry Chapin o
Rudolf Frimi o
Herman Goetz o
Edd Hall o C.
Thomas Howell o
Ted Knight o
Gerard Kuiper o
Tino Martinez o
Mary, Queen of Scots o
Gary Morris o
Gordon Parks, Jr. o
Louis Prima o
Edmundo Ross o
Ernst Toch o
Madam Tussaud o
Tom Waits o
Eli Wallach, Jr. |
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Greatness in the
individual leads to universal ends.
Imagination never dictates - but always
deserves a hearing.
Loneliness is like guerilla warfare. It undermines the
individual, the community and the country.
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THREE WINTER POEMS |
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A Fist Full of Snow
I need familiars
your bowels and brains have to be
as sure for me as both your eyes.
Passing through the sheets
and climbing down inside of you -
even though
you give back one for one
and maybe more
I sometimes wonder if I haven't
Traversed or gone climbing down a shaft
so new that none, not even me
had charted it.
Did you take a turn that I missed?
Did I go somewhere else ?
Was there a curve we didn't
go around together? Worse -
has someone else been hiking
down your highway?
Not to worry, never mind
change is change
unaccountable but surprising
if you like surprises.
It's just that I had hoped
all our surprises
would be together - planned.
There is some silence now
like dead wood in the forest
moving only when it's prodded.
And I stand here waiting
with a fist full of snow.
-from "Come to me in Silence," 1973
& "Too Many Midnights," 1981
Laughter Through the Crystal
Not so much for safety as for peace
do I retreat into imagination.
Retreat might be the wrong word
my mind's people take me forward.
Still... imagination's devices
do the needed job
when you're not here,
when no one's here.
Just now I've been awakened
by the screeching of mad bluejays.
The coffee isn't ready
the morning paper
won't arrive
for one more hour.
No need to even think.
The Morse code of coffee perking
in this room
now occupied by only me says it all
like laughter through the crystal.
-from "Too Many Midnights," 1981
Snowflakes in the Wine
It rained today, all day
everything was the sound of rain.
Children laughing in the streets
police whistles
cars splashing mud at one another
even the music on the radio
sounded like the rain.
Tonight the storm is nearly over.
I walked down by the railway station
to watch the trains come in
and not once was I asked the time
nor did a stranger stop and want a light.
Sometimes on rainy nights
I forgot I'm in a foreign country.
It's about twelve-thirty now.
Most everyone has gone to bed.
Something is pushing me,
making me think.
I miss you.
-from "Winter," 1972
All three poems appeared in the 1972 album
"Winter," in slightly different form. |
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