Ok, music retirement is over

[J_Bass]

That's a lot of drastic change. I get that a heart attack can change your perspective on life and mortality, but you might want to address what you see as wrong with your life one variable at a time, rather than all at once. Baby, bathwater, and all that.

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Congratulations on the change, if it's for the best, it's worth it.

But I also agree with Koshchei.
And don't get this the wrong way, but that heart attack didn't develop last year.
Stress could made it happen now, but it was all those years before that caused it.

I'm just saying to be careful and change life habits. Eating habits, make sure you make exercise, etc., etc..

Those clogged arteries weren't caused by your (former) new job.

 

[turcmic]

Ha! I feel you!

I just turned 55. Fortunately, the girlfriend situation is very fine but working long hours mixed with insomnia are probably signs I should slow down a bit before the health issues start to occur.

Stories like yours are a friendly reminder to take care of ourselves.

Thank you.

 

[T Bassman]

Good on you sir. The wisdom to make these challenging changes is inspiring. You got this clearly!

 

[tb-player]

Yep, you heard me. I am getting back into the game. I recently had a mild heart attack and got two stents put in, and at age 60, I am never going to put myself in a position where I have to keep a job I get so stressed over.

To that end, I am also splitting with my wife of 21 years. I still love her, but the only reason I played in that oldies band I used to play for so long is because of the nut on the expensive house she insisted we buy, and same for the cable company I’ve been working at for the past year. I don’t mind a day job but I’ll never stick with one I don’t enjoy again because I don’t have to. My wife is a great person in many ways and I will never talk bad about her, but we no longer get along as a couple and I am not going to live my golden years with that kind of pressure again or I will croak.

So don’t cry for me, Argentina . We both seem to be happier this way. And besides, I miss doing what I do best. I will never again work with an a-hole BL like the one in that oldies band, and if a woman doesn’t like my scaled back lifestyle, I will be happy to show her the door. It’s my life and I’ll do what I want, as Eric Burdon once sang.

Yay for me!

Glad you’re healthy. Sad you’re splitting up after so many years. That’s certainly not easy. Be well and keep thumpin’.

 

[LBS-bass]

Yep, no job is worth heart-attack level stress. Music can be stressful but the fun you can have in the right situation makes up for a lot. Since I retired from other sorts of work I've been able to jump back in with both feet and I have thought about getting out when things weren't going very well, but since then I've tried to zero in on better opportunities, so I'm not quite out of the running yet.

Personal stuff is a whole other thing; for entirely different reasons I came close to making a similar choice at one point not too terribly long ago, but in our case the problems we had were sorta fixable, with some compromises, since nothing is perfect. Once it got bad enough that I was about to hit the road, it came clear that some fixing needed to happen. So we are in a much better place now; the the prospect of making those kinds of changes at this age (you and I are similar in age) was sort of terrifying. Takes guts to start over later in life.

Wishing you all the best with the hope that all works out well!

 

[BassBrass]

sounds like you're enacting Totally what so many are feeling and doing perhaps only in part these days. You're riding a wave of dismantling & reformation keeping the essentials moving on from what doesn't work. Most of those old obligations were based on some kind of delusion anyway...

There's nothing like a ride in the Cardiac Catheterization Suite to shock a person into a new way of life....it's not a "mild" experience even if the "heart attack" was mild, and the excellent level of care and after care that exists these days for mild ones, it has a bad name for what can be a positive experience in the long term... no more refined flower-based foods! go paleo-vegan only eating foods you could have hunted, caught or gathered. Walk 5 miles a day.

 

[Ronzo]

All the best to you in your new life, Jimmy!

Life’s too short to be unhappy.

 

[lermgalieu]

Good for you @JimmyM

 

[bobomatic]

As a recovering husband (10 years clean) and a musician who will only play what I’m passionate about I say…

DO THAT poopie JIMMY!

 

[Father Gino]

Good for you. Less new basses perhaps, but that’s a minor issue. Hope you can find some rewarding bands to be in. I’m 66 and retired for 3 weeks now and today is my 38th wedding anniversary. Falling apart, but still moving and what I want to do most is play live music.

 

[MtManiac]

Yep, you heard me. I am getting back into the game. I recently had a mild heart attack and got two stents put in, and at age 60, I am never going to put myself in a position where I have to keep a job I get so stressed over.

To that end, I am also splitting with my wife of 21 years. I still love her, but the only reason I played in that oldies band I used to play for so long is because of the nut on the expensive house she insisted we buy, and same for the cable company I’ve been working at for the past year. I don’t mind a day job but I’ll never stick with one I don’t enjoy again because I don’t have to. My wife is a great person in many ways and I will never talk bad about her, but we no longer get along as a couple and I am not going to live my golden years with that kind of pressure again or I will croak.

So don’t cry for me, Argentina . We both seem to be happier this way. And besides, I miss doing what I do best. I will never again work with an a-hole BL like the one in that oldies band, and if a woman doesn’t like my scaled back lifestyle, I will be happy to show her the door. It’s my life and I’ll do what I want, as Eric Burdon once sang.

Yay for me!

My simultaneous condolences and congratulations!

Sorry to hear about all three things, I divorced the mother of my kids 12 years ago, and had a heart attack six years ago, and have had an a-hole BL before. I’m currently 51 and have three stents and two awesome adult kids I raised myself since they were single digits.

The separation and the heart attack were both life altering and consciousness raising experiences for me, and I hope they are for you too, and I say that in the most positive of ways. They’re painful *because* they’re life altering and consciousness raising.

Avoiding a-holes is my new mission, second only to trying hard and sometimes succeeding at not also being one.

 

[gtmalone]

Jimmy,

Yikes on the heart thing but hope that all comes out okay. I understand the rest of the stuff. Wishing you well on the next leg of your journey!

 

[GretschWretch]

So, turning the page and taking control of your own destiny. Nothing wrong with that. Do I foresee your avatar becoming a power trio with yet a third hat? Perhaps something like this?

 

[Matty Koff]

Yep, you heard me. I am getting back into the game. I recently had a mild heart attack and got two stents put in, and at age 60, I am never going to put myself in a position where I have to keep a job I get so stressed over.

To that end, I am also splitting with my wife of 21 years. I still love her, but the only reason I played in that oldies band I used to play for so long is because of the nut on the expensive house she insisted we buy, and same for the cable company I’ve been working at for the past year. I don’t mind a day job but I’ll never stick with one I don’t enjoy again because I don’t have to. My wife is a great person in many ways and I will never talk bad about her, but we no longer get along as a couple and I am not going to live my golden years with that kind of pressure again or I will croak.

So don’t cry for me, Argentina . We both seem to be happier this way. And besides, I miss doing what I do best. I will never again work with an a-hole BL like the one in that oldies band, and if a woman doesn’t like my scaled back lifestyle, I will be happy to show her the door. It’s my life and I’ll do what I want, as Eric Burdon once sang.

Yay for me!

Got dang boy. That is DEEP.

Best wishes to both you and your ex-wife and I hope this leads to a happier place.

 

[kesslari]

Glad you're OK after the HA, and it sounds like you're going forth on a new adventure that suits you. Wishing you and the ex well.

 

[FilterFunk]

All the best to you, Jimmy!

I'm 59, and over the past several years, my one-word life motto has been...simplify. Ridding one's life of unnecessary stress and conflict is always a good thing.

 

[mrjim123]

Good luck, Jimmy!

 

[JakobT]

We must all find happiness the best way we can, and life is too short to stick to choices that aren’t right for us. All the best to you (and your ex), long life, good health, and happiness.

 

[Rich Fiscus]

25781821[/URL], member: 55676"]Yep, you heard me. I am getting back into the game. I recently had a mild heart attack and got two stents put in, and at age 60, I am never going to put myself in a position where I have to keep a job I get so stressed over.

To that end, I am also splitting with my wife of 21 years. I still love her, but the only reason I played in that oldies band I used to play for so long is because of the nut on the expensive house she insisted we buy, and same for the cable company I’ve been working at for the past year. I don’t mind a day job but I’ll never stick with one I don’t enjoy again because I don’t have to. My wife is a great person in many ways and I will never talk bad about her, but we no longer get along as a couple and I am not going to live my golden years with that kind of pressure again or I will croak.

So don’t cry for me, Argentina . We both seem to be happier this way. And besides, I miss doing what I do best. I will never again work with an a-hole BL like the one in that oldies band, and if a woman doesn’t like my scaled back lifestyle, I will be happy to show her the door. It’s my life and I’ll do what I want, as Eric Burdon once sang.

Yay for me!

Some people love music the way other people love chocolate. Some of us love music the way other people love oxygen.

When my wife and I lost almost everything a few years ago, we learned to focus on the things that actually mattered to us, and not worry about the stuff that doesn’t make us any happier. We live modestly by most people’s standards, but comfortably by ours.

It’s all about finding your balance, and keeping enough joy in your music and your life.

 

[Jefenator]

Nothing like giving something up to make one realize how much you deep down need it.
I don't regret my time spent with A-hole BLs - or my recent sabbatical from the arts. But it sure does feel awesome to have that behind me!
Good luck and good drummers.