Greetings Everyone!
Well I'd begun to think I was immune, but I got Covid three months ago and it kicked my booty right down the road. Now I'm back to normal in most ways, but my brain seems to be filled with loose change. (More on that later.)
BTW I turned the big 7-0 last week, and the older I get, the more I’m aware that I really do have an expiration date. Still, to borrow from the old Timex ad, I’ve taken a licking and I keep on ticking.
So I have an exceptionally short newsletter this month, but it features some very good news, an excellent gift idea, a new poem, and bit of wisdom from Joseph Campbell and Ram Dass.
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CONTENTS of This Newsletter
1. New Sherpas single: People Get Ready
2. The perfect holiday gift idea: Scotland!
3. Poem of the Month: “Covid Brain”
4. Food for Thought from Joseph Campbell and Ram Dass
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1. New Sherpas single
A few weeks ago our friends at Hudson Harding Music checked in to see if the Sherpas would be willing to record a song for a promotional album.To our surprise they explicitly asked if we'd be willing to cover the old Curtis Mayfield song "People Get Ready." And of course our answer was yes.
The album was shipped to 300 stations, and it's only for promo. However we are free to share it, and if you'd like to listen you can hear it on YouTube by clicking HERE.
—BTW the gorgeous train track photo was taken by fellow Sherpa Michael Lille (who is quite the photographer).
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2. Give the gift of Scotland this season!
If you don't have a special someone to surprise, give it to yourself! To me, nothing could be more special. My 2024 tour starts May 1st, which is early spring in Scotland, and that time of year is a great time to be there.The spring foliage is just budding out, and we'll be there ahead of hordes of tourists. No small thing!
FYI I've just revamped the Scotland page at my website. To check it out, HERE. You'll find much of what you need to know, and I've also included links to my page on the *Traceless Tours site. (And if you want to skip straight to the Traceless Tours pages, click HERE and HERE.)
*Our first rate tour company.
Last, but not least, feel free to email me directly at Scotland@tomkimmel.com. I'll be happy to share my own take on all things Scotland, including my personal experience of the tours.
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3. Poem of the Month: Covid Brain
I read a New York Times article last week on the subject of what's known as Covid brain. It drew on interviews with doctors and researchers, and the consensus is that it's a very real thing. In fact, it actually affects the neurology of the brain and shows up on MRIs. And the docs said it can last for weeks or months or for an indeterminant amount of time. Well I'm 3 months into it, and it's still challenging for me to remember my lyrics, play guitar well, type, and (sometimes) to even finish sentences. In fact it's been struggle to write this newsletter!
And all that said, I'm very happy to have gotten a poem out of it…
Covid Brain
Regarding thoughts.
Mine have always skipped along.
ADHD, they call it now.
One leapfrogging another
As they go on
Changing channels
Too fast before
we had remotes
And didn’t know any better.
But Covid brain’s
More like flipping
Earth’s magnetic fields
From north to south
And vice-versa
Which actually happens
Every so often
And I find fascinating.
Help me out here.
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4. Food for Thought
"We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us."
—Joseph Campbell (1904-1987), mythologist and writer
"The quieter you become, the more you hear."
—Ram Dass (1931-2019), teacher and author
Till next month, Maximum Peace, Love & Understanding.
TK
PS Thanks always to the folks at Elixir Strings for keeping me playing the world's best strings for over 25 years.