60 to 60: Any Hobbies

When Jay and I started dating, we discovered that we’d both grown up exposed to lots of different kinds of music. Do you play any instruments? I asked. Oh, I play a little guitar, he said. That first summer together up in Alaska, he played and sang a few times around the fire circle, with all the other outdoor guides we hung out with.

Over the next few years, music slipped into our home slowly. First, like a hint. A whisper. Then, a wave.

In came the acoustic guitars and the electric guitars and the amps and preamps and the trades. The first band then the second then the third and the album and the release party where all of Lyons turned out. Then the second album and all of the great songs he’s written and all the gigs over the years and hours and hours of outreach and practice and recording with Brian and now the terrific trio he’s formed with Derek and John.

Last summer, I heard a van door slam in our driveway. I looked out our bedroom window. There’s Jay. I “caught” him entering the house with yet another long guitar box. We laughed.

I figure, it could be a lot worse. Plus, we’ve both worked hard in our careers. Life is for living.

Today, we are 11 days away from celebrating Jay’s retirement from a long teaching career. He’s just home from school, flat on his back, which is the Universal Teacher-in-May position across the lands.

He’s looking at a music website. Hey, c'mere. “Which guitar do you like?”

I suppose I’ll always be the other woman.