into the new

happy new year! many folks have called 2020 the worst year ever, but i don’t see it that way. there is always good and bad, and while the bad of 2020 was of epic proportions, the good was, too; a new sweetheart, new songs, a new record, a new video, a new local residence for my daughter and son in law, a new relationship with a new grandson, new friends, new endeavors, new firsts. i proved to myself once again that life evolves and i can continue to grow, and, in spite of everything, adapt.

our first video for the new album, based on the song “down to the river,” used the bizarre aspects of the pandemic as highlights for its themes of hope, redemption and hypocrisy- namely, masks. while at first i thought we couldn’t shoot it because of the pandemic, i realized masks could be worn and used to drive the theme of hypocrisy harder, which they did. hidden character flaws got highlighted by the use of masks as literal curtains for the dark side of human nature. cool and adaptive, don’t you think?

as the world as we knew it virtually stopped in march, april and may, i threw myself into farming with donna on her organic, 5-acre farm facing the atlantic and returned to tasks i knew as a child- tilling, planting, pruning and watering- in the strong early sun of the northeast spring. as spring progressed into summer, the building began- a chicken coop, a greenhouse, a shed, a new fence, and the expanded farm stand which became a magnet for a wide community seeking safe social contact.

and of course, music. the saturday music program became the social outlet of the season and a rallying point for musicians with few, if any, places to play; an artistic lifeline and a source of joy for us all. as i found myself in the middle of all this, my natural organizational abilities got put to use and of course the van gogh brothers became a regular feature over the summer, making new friends and fans, putting my skills into service for others and for the farm.

and what the farm lacked in its usual dozens of volunteers to support its operation and charitable foundation for children with cancer and other life-threatening conditions, got made up for in the generosity of farm stand patrons and benefactors. the threat of closure as covid eliminated giving and state funding was somehow averted with the help of the community and bank forbearance. 2021 will be a continued challenge, but 2020 was a lesson in adaption, community and human nature.

interestingly, my “former” life as a jet-setter got literally grounded in the earth of the farm. while on the surface my big, wide palette of travel became reduced to 5 acres with occasional trips to my carriage house in boston, my “covid life” expanded my personal horizons on almost every level. luck or adaption?

i like to think of all this as an opportunity for real growth, because it really has been. i got to take my aging body and revitalize it with physical labor and fresh air. i got to make use of my skills in service to the farm and to others. i got to “think small” in terms of music as a true community vehicle. i got to develop a personal relationship with someone under conditions that didn’t allow me to hide the worst of my character defects. 2020 wasn’t a “bad year,” it was a good year.

however, i realize there was luck involved here and not a small element of fate, and for that i am grateful. i recount my experiences not to brag, but to highlight the good over the bad. of course i miss the many things i had taken for granted all my life, as we all do, and there are aspects of life i haven’t been able to experience since the pandemic which makes me wistful. moreover, i wonder what the future holds and how my “new life” will merge with my “old life.” but there again, i recognize adaptability as the key, and i remind myself how these experiences prove out the human capacity for adaptability.

politics will prove themselves out as we move through the pandemic, and the truth of everything will become obvious as we gain the benefit of hindsight. the nation and the world will heal. we will prove that we need each other and divisions will fade as the necessity for our own humanity increases in importance. forgiveness will play a role and we will recognize that it’s pointless to hate what fear has inspired in others’ behaviors. i choose to believe in the ultimate goodness of mankind and to look at the good that has come from 2020 as i move into 2021.

i wish you all a very happy, healthy and inspired new year.

love,

jc