Simplicity

Some Jenny Lewis lyrics have been in my head for the past couple of weeks:

If I run uphill I'm out of breath.
If I spend all of my money then I've got no money left.
If I place all of my chips on only one bet --
I'm all in.

You'd think that all I do is sit around and sing songs in my head all day. Our little secret...

Truth is, I find wisdom in songs. Music transcends conversation, which tends to be forced and shallow. I tell you my stories, you tell me yours. And while one person talks, the other usually thinks about how respond with something better.

The lyrics have been particularly salient lately since I've been in such a poker mindset lately. And as happenstance would have it, the Heads-Up Poker Championship is on tv right now.

At this point in my life, I can check, fold, or put all my chips in the middle. And to switch sporting euphemisms, two of them are bad, as Darrell Royal used to say.

So, my mantra lately has been "I'm all in".

The immediate demonstrative output has been home improvement. Finally planning to do the stuff around the house I wanted to do when we first bought it. Putting up the pictures, mirrors, and other furniture items that have been in the spare bedroom for months. Building a patio in the back. Turning the office into a home library.

Our main trip out of the house yesterday was to Lowe's to buy brackets and nails and to look at flowers and landscaping stones. I've forgotten how fun it is to roam the aisles at a hardware store.

All this leaves me where I began.

Out of breath with no money left.

But still, I'm all in.