If you read the “about us” on the home web page you will see the comment about me passing Tarpley Music store (https://tarpleymusic.com/) in Lubbock Texas and saying out loud as I drove by, “God I wish I could play the guitar”. I was listening to Waylon Jennings at the time and the song I believe is called “Lonesome, on’ry and mean”. It is sort of an old school country, lots of twang, the electric guitar is loud and clear and I love it. I am not a huge country music fan but I really love the old stuff. Ole Waylon brings the air guitar out of me the same way Bob Seger does. It’s not flashy stuff but man does it make me happy.
Something inside me told me to turn around and go in the store and I am glad I did. I walked in and was greeted by the manager, Terry. I think God put us in the right locations at the right time because he knew how to steady my nerves and bring out what little musical talent I had in me. He asked all the right questions and sold me a 50$ guitar and a book on how to play it. He told me to give it try and if I didn’t like it, bring it back and he would refund my money. How in the world do you pass up a deal like that? His only stipulation was to learn the chords as best I could and stay with it long enough to play a song that someone might recognize and that is exactly what I did. Thank goodness for the RED RIVER VALLEY or I would have quit a long time ago.
What Terry eventually got out of me from that meeting that day was that I traded that 50$ Jr. guitar for a 300$ Yamaha big boy guitar which I learned to play even better than the 50$ Jr and then finally as I got better and didn’t drive everyone out of the room with my playing, I bought a 1200$ All Black 214 cc Taylor (https://www.taylorguitars.com/) that I love dearly. When I bought the Taylor, Terry helped me again. I saw it hanging there without a pick guard, all black in color with little to no pizazz and I thought that it was the ugliest guitar I had ever seen so I avoided it like it was the point of origin for Covid 19 and I didn’t even know Covid 19 existed back then, that’s how ugly I thought it was. As I sat there quietly strumming “Lyin eyes” by the Eagles on a much prettier Taylor, Terry slipped the black beast over my shoulder and said “try this one”. I recoiled like a frightened rattle snake and may have even let a hiss slip out. To Terry’s credit, he hung tough and convinced me to strum that same tune I was playing but to strum it on this completely repugnant one he was shrewdly handing me. Yep, I bought it. It’s now the most beautiful guitar I have ever seen or heard, even when yours truly is playing it badly.
Now, I am not good, I don’t practice enough to be good and you probably wouldn’t like hearing me, but when I strum out a little “night moves” by Bob Seger, I smile and I am happy inside, who cares what I sound like. If you ask me now if I can play the guitar, I will say YES, badly though.
On that day or moment you catch yourself making a wish that is attainable, go get it. If you are five feet tall, slow and non-athletic, you can’t wish to play in the NBA, it just isn’t going to happen no matter how hard you wish. What I am referring to are the things that you know you can do if you try. What does it hurt to chase a wish or a dream? When we realize that the metaphoric chains that shackle us in place were put there by none other than ourselves, we can unlock them quickly, get moving and more than anything, start living. Sometimes we get a little scared of the thought of stepping out of our comfort lanes, and we think our family will think we are silly or immature, or our friends will think we are stupid and self centered. Don’t worry about any of them because deep down, they would love to have your courage.