planB

 

Don’t know if you had a Plan A or if for some reason you had to adjust your life. Maybe that first marriage didn’t work out? You weren’t the first choice anyway. Maybe that career was interrupted by a pregnancy? Perhaps your car breaks down? Perhaps you get fired? Perhaps you become disabled? Perhaps you lose your house? Perhaps you get addicted?

There are too many options for Plan A to go array. Do you have a Plan B? Or maybe a Plan C?

Insurance is sold as an alternative of repayment for possible injury or disaster. Haven’t check the home owner policy recently to see if a wildfire wiping out the community is covered? Don’t know if theft insurance covers flash mobs?

If you are a politician running for a position of power, can you convince enough people to donate to your cause of self-preservation? If not, what is your fallback plan? They are hiring at Burger World.

The ‘American Dream’ had plotted out a Plan A for all the baby boomers. Follow Plan A and you will live prosperous and happy.

Get a good education. Go to church. Mind your manners. Do as you are told. Play the game fairly.

In school they’d ask, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” then your life was forged in that direction. You were going to work for your family business or become a lawyer, doctor or Indian chief. Get married, buy a house with a picket fence, have 2.5 children and a pet. Cut the grass on Saturdays and cook-outs in the summer.

Not everyone had that Plan A.

Due to caste or monetary or physical restrictions, some had to adjust dreams for reality. Plan A was survival. Shelter, food, clothing, transportation was Plan A. If that didn’t work, go to Plan B.

I, personally, didn’t have a Plan A. I had no desires for powerful corporate positions that came with fame and fortune. I just went with the flow to see what would happen. Seems to worked out pretty well (so far). Like everyone else there were potholes and speed bumps and detours, but stay the course and not cause too much obnoxious behavior will keep the peace and tranquility of a pleasant life.

My Plan B would have been music. It was the only other thing I was interested in.

Like everything else, I didn’t want to study music. I wanted to ‘play’ music. I’d learn as I observed others, tinkered with different sounds and be awarded by applause.

I look back at what could have been more than a hobby but a career. This would have been Plan B. I didn’t have a Plan C.

I grew up basically jamming with friends and strangers in smokey bars, backyard parties and whatever room we could play what we called music and possibly get paid money. We used instruments and sound systems that were thrown together or constructed by members of the band or friends who wanted to tinker with electronics. This was not a good Plan B.

Late nights, when the performance was over and the audience left and the lights turned off but ‘the band’ stayed around to wind down and enjoy being together. Unfortunately, this would not go well with a 9-5 job or the requirement of paying the bills.

Without an entourage and roadies bringing all your cables and microphones and instruments around and setting them up so all the ‘performers’ had to do was walk out on a stage, listen to the screams, hope to play the right notes and leave hot and sweaty.

Then move onto another show at another town to another audience to criticist your performance. When every day is a vacation, except for eternal sleep deprived alcohol fueled routines become a habit.

Music is an industry. Just like government, communication, transportation, manufacturing, entertaining others for a price is an art. There is a bias of this industry and without the latest ‘hit’ the magic will fade.

Being from a time of ‘plug and play’ is difficult to realize the amount of equipment, lights, sound, tractor trailer trucks and road crew to assemble what the audience expects to see at every event or festival.

The struggle to stay in the public attention may demand outrageous behavior or enormous photographic exposure. Wearing clothing not normally seen on the street or acting outrageous to get attention as you age. Not sure it validates the talent or accomplish the job requirements.

Content with accomplishing Plan A so far and don’t want to have to make a Plan B.