I’m grown. Most of my fans are. The new album is called “The Second Half of the Bet” because I felt like the songs were exploring what happens after the deal has been set. We may be in a place that’s very different than what we imagined when we were uncommitted and completely amorphous, but we have powerful choices to make. It may seem dark, one may be disillusioned, but I found myself becoming more and more hopeful as this album developed. I’d guess that most of us would find hope as we actively pursued a project and asked for our community’s involvement like I did with Kickstarter and other places. (Even if you think you don’t have a community, I bet if you started asking, you’d find out you weren’t so alone.)
So as I’m putting together the first celebration for my new album, I thought I’d ask a few of my friends to participate in the event by sharing art or thoughts on the subject of second steps towards a positive life. I thought it would be nice to also hear what those who can’t attend might have to say on the subject. Post your thoughts, links to songs, images, videos or poems. I’m excited to hear from you.
I was 36 years old and had never completed college. I felt less than. For years I had been acting the part of the smart guy just to cover up a sometimes crippling insecurity. I had a God sized hole in my soul.
Then one early morning I awoke at 3am with a driving thought that I now know was planted in my head by something much bigger than me. By 4am I had sent an inquiry to an admissions officer at a local private university, and by 11am I was enrolled in a degree completion program.
The Internet economy had just crashed. I had a couple of bucks in the bank and plenty of time on my hands so I embarked on what became a life changing journey. What was supposed to be part-time school and an active search for a new job became five years of full-time educational pursuits.
First the bachelor’s degree, some time in law school, a master’s degree and three certificate programs later I was done. The career took a while to re-start as I was truly beginning again at the age of 41. Thankfully, within a few years I was employed and in a position that I could have only dreamed of just a few short years earlier.
Now… God fills my soul. And I see that my second step was simply a springboard to many more unforeseen steps. Life is indeed good. And luckily for me, as I look back I clearly see that my Second Half Bet seems to have been fixed. And for that I am eternally grateful.