MJ vs. KC

"Such a feeling's coming over me. There is wonder in most everything I see. Not a cloud in the sky, got the sun in my eyes and I won’t be surprised if it’s a dream.”

The Carpenters "Top of the World" is one explanation as to how we should approach our lives. For many people, it is the single philosophy they have been taught, and it is the only way they know how to proceed.

A little girl, who would later grow up to work for Cheapo Records for a while, used to perform her rendition of "Top of the World" for her family. She told me it was one of the fonder memories from her childhood. Singing and dancing, it would not be the last time she would entertain someone. She had a naturally nurturing spirit.

Not exactly the most ambitious type, what were her dreams? During the time our paths crossed, she encouraged me to look forward to was ahead, the potential of things, rather than back at the past to the way things used to be. I never did figure out her philosophies, the way she lived her life, the decisions she made. Somehow I always thought she could just tell what I was thinking and feeling, yet the more I think about it, the more I doubt that was true. Dreams can be wishes, desires, fantasies; they can also be rooted in reality-the road we wish our lives to follow. They can keep us going in difficult times, or delude us into following a dead end route.

“Everything I want the world to be. Is now coming true especially for me. And the reason is clear, it’s because you are near. You’re the nearest thing to heaven that I’ve seen.”

A new acquaintance, a new business associate, a new friend, told me she, unlike her husband, is not a dreamer. She has, at least in my mind. been blessed with the ability to approach things with a more practical point of view, looking at things rooted in day to day realities. This has its advantage or not allowing the mind to become distracted and discouraged by things that may or may not happen.

After a nice conversation with her, I thought back to what I had learned, or what she was trying to tell me. Among many topics we discussed was how a gate will sometimes swing open, and an opportunity will present itself in disguise, in a fashion that we are leery of, and the skepticism prevents us from moving. Instead we merely react to circumstances and it all passes us by.

Last week Michael Jordan joined B.B King and myself in losing the thrill. But in that very admission, the burden of something he's held close for a long time could finally be let go That freedom can be very uplifting. Michael showed us another way to approach life. Despite losing the passion for what he has done so well for so long, the decision walk away was a noble one. And not one that many people could have made.

"I'm on the top of the world, looking down on creation, and the only explanation I can find, is the love that I've found ever since you've been around. Your love's put me at the top of the world. "

One of the best feelings in the world is to control your own destiny. To have the choice of whether to stay or walk away, may or may not matter when the final polka is played, but it's better than having someone else make the decision for us.

But most people do need the crutch of a second opinion. Most people do need to be reassured that what they are doing is OK with somebody else. It may only be a myth, but it is a comforting one-something we all need.

"Something in the wind has learned my name. And it's telling me that things are not the same. In the leaves on the trees and the touch of the breeze, there's a place and sense of happiness for me. There is only one thing on my mind. When this day is through I hope that I will find, that tomorrow will be just the same for you and me, all I need will be mine if you are here. "

Next Week: Hippocrates vs. Johnny Cash