The Benefit Of Don Williams

They say that time changes everything. While I believe that’s mostly true, I do think there are still a few things you can hang your hat on.

I was reminded of this as I watched the Don Williams concert on Thursday. I’d seen him one time before, about eight years ago. It was my very first concert, actually. This time around everything was still as I remembered. Don didn’t go pop. He didn’t go punk rock. He just strolled in, took a seat, and without a dash of flash or glitz, sang his songs as smoothly as the first time I’d seen him. He had the same hat, and once again he hardly chatted at all between songs. (He’d just say something like “Mercy” if the crowd was particularly loud, although he’d draw out the word with his southern drawl so that it lasted for about 10 seconds, which was great. I think it would take about 3 hours to have a simple conversation with him about the weather. “Weeeeeeeeeeellllllllllll, if you look at them clouds over yoooooonder……..”)

For me, however, nearly everything has changed since that first concert. Back then I was either 21 or 22, with a full head of hair, working on co-op in Minneapolis. It was my first time living away from home, not to mention my first time working a real, soul-sucking cubicle job. I didn’t have a clue. I was totally flying by the seat of my pants with no idea as to what I was doing or what I was getting myself into.

Flash forward to now. I’ve been steadily employed for seven years, most of them in Wisconsin. I have a 401K. Heck, I’m even eligible for a pension with my former company. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still flying by the seat of my pants, but in a little more of a controlled way.

The point is this: everything’s changed in a short time. Once you get out of college, life becomes a blur and the years pass faster than you’d ever imagine possible. Change is constant, to the point where it makes you dizzy. Sometimes it gets pretty overwhelming, and that’s when you need to be able to fall back on something you can count on to help steady your proverbial ship. For example, seeing Don Williams without worrying if he’s dyed his beard pink or if he’s going to be covering Hannah Montana songs.

So, thanks Don, for being a pillar of consistency. It’s good to have something you can count on, unlike a full head of hair. Come back soon!