I had a good day yesterday. I wrote a song. I was noodling around with my new chord and a piece of a tune popped into my head along with some nonsense words. I recorded it on my phone so as not to forget it. I put some real words to it and added a bit more melody and by the end of the day I had four verses and what might pass for a song.

This is what gentlemen do. They dabble in the arts. I use the term gentleman lightly, just to mean I have the resources available to me that allow me time to sit and pick on my guitar rather than bust my knuckles trying to put food on the table and a roof over my head. I’m lucky in that regard. I have plenty of food and a nice roof. I like to try and be grateful for that. Songs are one way of expressing that gratitude. They also help me deal with the new circumstances of my life, i.e. being a widower and all.

But back to the good day. I also got in a long conversation with my youngest son about music theory and he helped clear up some things for me and that was good. He is by far, and his brother and sister and I all acknowledge this, the most erudite among us when it comes to things musical. And he likes to teach and share. It’s just that sometimes I have no idea what he’s talking about, but I did yesterday. And it was fun talking to him about chord shapes, and passing tones, and I was happy to be in a place where I can now use some of it, as a gentleman dabbling in the arts, adding a bit of color to his life.

John W. Wilson is the author of The Long Goodbye: A Caregiver’s Tale