Do you watch awards shows? They are typically not something that I pay attention to. This past weekend while sitting in our living room after a long day, Carol asked if The Grammys were on. Having no idea, because it is not something that I pay attention to, I turned the television on and checked. Sure enough, they were on!
The Grammys are pretty far down my list of award shows that I would typically pay attention to. While I love listening to music, the music of today is not even on my radar. Typical playlists in my car include very little music from this decade, most of it is "from the 1900s," at least how our girls describe it. I guess what I grew up listening to is now considered "Classic Rock." If the current music is not something that I pay attention to, then you may be wondering "Why is he even mentioning the Grammys?"
This story matters because of one song performed that night. Did you see the duet with Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs singing "Fast Car?"
Last year, Luke Combs covered a song from the 1900's. He chose to cover a classic. He chose to record Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car." A song that Rolling Stone selected as one of the top 500 songs of all time.
His cover of her song allowed Tracy Chapman to be the first black woman to have written the Song of the Year as selected at the Country Music Awards. Think about that for a moment. This woman who stepped back from the public eye almost 30 years ago, was thrust back into the spotlight because another artist saw the beauty in the song that she wrote more than 30 years ago.
Watching these two artists perform the song together proved to be a beautiful moment. They exchanged singing verses, then harmonized together on the chorus. An older, black woman, singing side by side with a younger, white man. They made amazing music together, with mutual respect and admiration. Such a powerful example of what we need to see more of in this world.
While this is an amazing story, I found myself wondering what lesson can we learn from Tracy Chapman's journey. The work that she did in the 1980s paid off for her thirty years ago. And because the work that she did back then was so powerful, it paid off again 30 years later!
The idea that work that you do now can, and will, benefit you again down the road is a very powerful concept.
Think about how this relates to our health. The choices that we make today are like deposits in, or withdrawals from, the 401K for our health. The choices that we make now have the power to help us, or hurt us, in the long run.
We get to decide. The exercise we do today matters. The sleep we get matters. The water we drink matters. The food choices that we make matter. No matter how seemingly insignificant these decisions can seem now, remember that they do matter in the long run.
Make More Deposits Than Withdrawals!
