Upbeat

Upbeat

Yes, I read the monthly AARP newsletter. There, I said it and I’m proud of it. I always used the excuse that I consider myself a retirement professional since I taught a pensions course for ten years at Cornell and I wrote a book called The Global Pension Crisis in 2013, which got reasonably well-read and even cited academically in the field (my academic claim to fame). However, I also read the AARP newsletter because I think there are some interesting articles that I like to peruse. I say peruse rather than read because I am stigmatized by the many articles that I would characterize at “coupon-clipping” articles about how to save a penny here or a nickel there for people on a fixed income. I remember my wonderful step-father, Irving, who had done a good job of husbanding his resources over the years and was truly among the class of “the millionaires next door” that people have written about. He never owned a company, didn’t hold a corporate executive job, was not on Wall Street and was certainly not a particularly shrewd investor, but he did know how to watch his pennies. That is the whole basis of those millionaire’s next door, they live well within their means and let time and compounding do its magic on their savings. I remember him telling me that he used to drive across the width of Florida to visit friends on the gulf coast and would stop once on the crossing. I asked him what he would do during that stop and he said, without an ounce of shame, that he would walk around in the local grocery store and just compare prices with what he paid in Delray Beach, where he lived. That always amazed me because I could not imagine doing such a thing and he loved doing it. It was then that I decided I had better make more money because I was less likely than Irving to be frugal enough to get there the way he had.

Every once and while I do see a wonderful article in the AARP newsletter that strikes a nerve in a good way. There was the piece about the longtime college professor who quit at 70 (his tenure could have allowed him to stay on indefinitely, which is a problem at many schools) and the next day took a job at the college as the custodian for the gymnasium. He liked sports and found nothing whatsoever demeaning about manual labor for his second career. I always admired that story and consider it one of the great retirement messages, that being useful and productive can occur in many honorable ways and we should never deride any labor so long as someone takes pride in it.

This week I saw a small article about the importance of staying psychologically upbeat during this time of COVID, when it is easy to get overly worried about the future of the world and our individual and collective prospects. People in the therapy field have been taking note of the troubling state of the population’s mindset as things keep getting worse and not better these past four months. The author of the article suggested that everyone put together a playlist on their iPhones of the most upbeat and inspiring music they can think of. I know from Kim’s cabaret work that people in that business consider songs like Pharrell William’s Happy to be musical candy, sure to bring a crowd to a smile and that feel good place that audiences always want to go. I also know that whenever Kim is putting together I show I suggest more up-tempo songs rather than ballads and sad songs. She is forever scolding me, this pillar of happiness, telling me that shows have to have a flow and a blend of songs that are up-tempo and not-so-much to truly take an audience through its paces to well-rounded enjoyment. This seems like the stuff of her arranging guru, Lennie Watts, Kim’s “cabaret husband”. Lennie has made a career out of ignoring and rejecting every cabaret suggestion I have ever made. What does he have that I don’t other than about forty cabaret arranging and producing and performing awards.

This AARP article gave me a list of songs to consider, highlighting the Beatles’ Here Comes the Sun, which it seems every COVID ward in every hospital in the U.S. is playing every time someone comes off a ventilator or gets discharged after taming the COVID beast. When I told Kim about the list, which I ripped out of the newsletter, she thought it was a good idea and noted that we could also add to the playlist since that list was just a sampling of good upbeat songs. While I was tempted to ask if she had spoken to Lennie about it first, I bit my tongue because whatever it takes for any of us to be uplifted in these times should be invoked and used to the max. I especially want Kim to remind herself as she recover’s from Cecil’s passing that the sun does come up every morning and life really is a wonderful gift we cannot afford to squander even for one day.

So I went about downloading any of the songs on the list I didn’t have in my fairly limited library. As I did this, it was amazing how many other great upbeat songs it spurred me to remember. I didn’t want to dilute the list with non-outstanding upbeat songs, but I did add a few of my own favorites. Here is my list on my iPhone, which I call UPBEAT as a playlist for when we are in the car or something.

Here Comes the Sun – Beatles (the granddaddy)

I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor – Important during career trouble

Mr. Blue Sky – Electric Light Orchestra – It never rains in Southern California

Lovely Day – Bill Withers – Drug-induced stupor

I Say a Little Prayer – Dionne Warwick – My Best Friend’s Wedding

What the World Needs Now – Dionne Warwick – Always true

Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen – Always makes me cry, but in a good way

Shelter From The Storm – Bob Dylan – More drugs

Let’s Work Together – Canned Heat – Partnership credo

Over the Rainbow – Judy Garland – Judy, Judy, Judy

Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole – from The Descendants

Somewhere Out There – Linda Ronstadt – Fiefel!!!

Don’t Worry Baby – The Beach Boys – Beach blanket bingo

Don’t Worry Be Happy – Bobby McFerrin – Eh-re, Eh-re right-on John Candy

Bridge Over Troubled Water – Simon & Garfunkel – Touches my soul

Three Little Birds – Bob Marley – Rasta magic

Walkin’ On Sunshine – Katrina & The Waves – As upbeat as it comes

Coming Out of the Dark -Gloria Estefan – Lights and tunnels

Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey – Always important

What a Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong – Truth

The River of Dreams – Billy Joel – Dreams are the bomb

Don’t Stop – Fleetwood Mac – Never!

Beautiful Day – U2 – Lovely

Up Where We Belong – Joe Cocker – An Officer and a Gentleman

Let The River Run – Carley Simon – Ode to Staten Island

Come On Eileen – Save Ferris – My personal favorite and I don’t even know Eileen

Happy – Ferrell Williams – Candy

So there’s the list. After you clear the patriotic playlist from the Fourth Barbecue, put together your Upbeat playlist. We are all going to need it.