Then and Now: What I Learned by Reading My Journal from 7 Years Ago
A seven-year-old journal entry becomes a time machine—revealing how ambition softened into presence, and what it really means to live intentionally.
Playing Guitar When Life Gets Heavy
Most nights after dinner, I grab my guitar and sit in the kitchen while my wife tidies up.
Not long ago, I started learning classical guitar at 48. Those quiet minutes practicing have become one of the best ways I reset when life gets heavy.
She’s loading the dishwasher while I work through an etude or a chord transition my teacher gave me that week.
It’s a small moment, nothing dramatic. But something about it feels peaceful. For twenty minutes, the noise of the day fades away.
Running a business comes with a constant low hum of pressure. Some days it’s manageable. Other days feel heavier. Sometimes that weight stretches into weeks or even months that are mentally tough. When things get stressful in business, I try to focus on the next right thing.
That’s exactly why picking up the guitar at the end of the night has become such an important reset for me.
It also gives me a sense of control in a world that sometimes feels out of my control. If I work on the exercises my teacher gives me, I know I will improve. There’s no gray area.
Music Has Always Been My Reset Button
This isn’t the first time music has helped me clear my head.
For a while I kept a drum set at Apple Spice. On particularly stressful days, or sometimes even on really good days, I loved sitting down and playing for a few minutes before heading home.
It was a great way to reset before walking through the front door.
Eventually my wrist started bothering me from years of repetitive motion, and I put the drumsticks down. I also don’t spend as much time at the office as I used to.
But music has a funny way of finding another door.
And lately, that door has been the guitar.
Why Learning Guitar as an Adult Can Relieve Stress
A few quiet minutes practicing after dinner while my wife finishes up in the kitchen. Something about that moment feels like home.
Hopefully she enjoys it too. At the very least, it gives me a chance to play.
And in a strange way, that simple habit has become one of the best ways I’ve found to deal with stressful days.
You don’t have to solve everything in one night.
Sometimes you just have to practice.
“Know what’s enough. Build what matters.”
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