The Circle Game — Joni Mitchell

When I was younger, I thought there would be plenty of time. Time to make the record, write the story, take the trip, and call somebody back.

Then one day you look around, and the children have grown, the band has changed names, and the stories you used to tell about last weekend happened thirty years ago.

Joni Mitchell’s “The Circle Game” gets me thinking about the boy I was, the father I became, and the man still learning how to live with both of them.

I grew up in Alabama with music ahead of me and no idea how many people would become part of my story. Bands, friendships, rooms full of strangers who became familiar faces. Another Roadside Attraction eventually became Roadside. Even the name learned to travel lighter.

Now I am gathering those memories here, giving the people and the songs a place to meet again.

Being a father changes how I hear a song about growing up. I think about Olivia, Charlotte, and Parker. I think about how a family can share years together while each person remembers a different moment most clearly.

I have my memories. They have theirs. I hope there will always be room to listen.

There are things I would do differently. There are also moments I would gladly sit inside for another afternoon. Music lets me visit briefly, then brings me back to the life waiting here.

That is where the work is now: making a phone call, keeping a commitment, writing something honest, thanking a friend.

WeRockTV is becoming my living anthology, but I want it to have room for what happens next, too.

There are still people to meet and songs I have never heard. Somewhere, a young band is probably assembling its first questionable stage.

I wish them a good crowd and sturdy tables.

For everyone growing older while still feeling a little unfinished, here is tonight’s song.

Let it bring somebody to mind. Give that memory a few minutes.

We rock.