Andy Koehn never made it as a rock star. And that’s a really really good thing.
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If I was a rock star I’d be dead by now. I would have sniffed, smoked, injected, or otherwise ingested whatever mind altering substances came my way on any given night. I know that about myself, and I know that if I was a rock star I’d have biffed it a long time ago.
I also know that I’m not a rock star, and I don’t have designs on becoming one any time soon.
It used to be my dream. I thought I was meant for it. Hell, I knew I was meant for it, but I sure as hell didn’t do anything to try to get there. Thank God for that because what I have become, at least in my mind, is far more important than getting 50,000 fans on their feet. (Damn, that must feel good though!)
So what’s so damned important?
Simply put, I am on the road to fully “getting” how important it is to be a good dad and a decent husband. Honestly, I think I’m digging being a “Family Man.” It’s not very sexy I know, but I am what I am. Or rather…what I have become.
I also believe that being a dedicated parent and/or spouse involves real work, which is something I didn’t understand about the rock star thing. I thought sure I had universal songs destined to show themselves by my hand, but that’s about as far as it went. I figured it would sort of happen, through destiny and all that business.
I wonder how many of us think the same thing about a successful marriage and creating a family: That it just sort of happens. (It doesn’t.)
Reality Check: Dreams aren’t delivered to you on a silver platter. Mostly you have to go out and get them. Whether you want to be a rock star, a parent, a husband, a wife, or a circus clown, you’re going to have to work at it a little…or a lot. You’ll find out which one is true for you.
Sometimes being a husband and father is a helluva’ lot more work than I imagined, but since when does anything worthwhile come easy? To devote oneself not to millions, but to a few…our spouse and our kids…takes resolve, strength, creativity, a sense of humor, and a whole lot of love.
We are the front man (or woman) to a much smaller band and it’s an awesome responsibility. Sure it’s work, and it can be scary at times, but when you nail it? Well, I’m pretty sure it’s more important than walking on stage and bringing 50,000 people to their feet.
Long live rock.
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Photo: restlessglobetrotter / flickr