Life is short, slow down

I spent the last week with one of my best friends who I grew up with here in Dodge County. He’s lived in Arizona now for over 20 years and is one of my oldest and dearest friends, friends for over 40 years. We drove around Kasson/Mantorville and Rochester by old homes and old hangouts, discussed our successes and failures, reminisced about our youth, smoked many cigars on the deck, and talked smart striving to solve all the world’s problems.
The one consistent topic we discussed all week was “music” — rock, classic rock, country, jazz, classical, folk, R&B, etc. We also went to a Dweezil Zappa concert in St. Paul. While most reading this will not likely know anything about Dweezil, I will tell you his music encompasses every genre from rock to jazz with some of the most complicated music ever written and played — music that 100% of the musicians I know could appreciate but less than 1% could play. Some incredible musicians in his band.
We also went thru my late father’s vinyl album collection for the first time this past week. I learned my dad had a great appreciation for jazz — a genre I don’t ever remember seeing him listen to. His collection included many jazz albums that look brand new, barely played. Dad was a French Horn player and had performed with the Chatfield Brass Band (CBB) — one of their albums is included in his collection. His sister was a professional saxophone player who performed with the CBB and with the famous Polkadots band from Rochester (one of their albums in the collection too). Mom explained that when they were raising us Rose boys Dad worked so much, day and night, that he had little time to listen to music.
Dad loved music, as do I. Music is good for the soul. It’s relaxing. It’s nostalgic. Music brings back memories of the past (the technical term is music-evoked autobiographical memories). This week, I’ve set aside time every day to listen to some of my dad’s albums. Albums I’ve never listened to. Many musical artists I’ve never heard of. Albums that haven’t seen daylight in decades. It makes me think of him and all the sacrifices he made for our family. It makes me proud. It makes me smile.
My point to this column is this: Life is short. Slow down. Put down your cell phone. Turn off the TV. Take a break from the negative. Spend time with old friends. Laugh. Enjoy every minute with your family. Listen to your favorite music. Take time to enjoy what makes you happy.
With all the stress we live with today in 2024, we could all use a reset.
Scott Rose serves as sheriff of Dodge County.