I think this Sunday’s podcast is the 579th podcast. The 579th time I’m telling you about something that happens in my life. Which means I have to look around to find something new… which is really good. Because it makes me look more carefully at what’s going on around me. I like telling you about first times. First times rock. Like the first scent of fresh coffee beans when you open the jar…the first time the Christmas tree smells like you remember it from when you were five, the way your mate looks, sleeping… in the first light of dawn. Pretty often, as a Louie Louie Generation lad or lass, you have to face the first time there’s a last time in your life…like the day you suddenly really know it’s time to retire from a career you’ve loved, or when it’s time to tell an old friend that his political or religious views have become so extreme that you just can’t talk with him anymore. I had to face an awful first time for a last time when I realized a little while ago that I probably won’t ever get to talk to a daughter again. And those of us who are members of the Louie-Louie Generation have all been around long enough to know what it’s like to experience the first time you know it’s the last time you’ll see your mother or father, your husband or wife. So, close your eyes, count to ten, and open them again. Then look around carefully enough to find something you didn’t notice before. Or do something you’ve always wanted to do, but never got around to doing it. It’ll Christmas up your life. Merry Christmas.
