Tears in Heaven….a Lesson to Learn.

A colleague of mine, well she is as much a friend as a colleague, sent me an incredible video last night.  She had the wonderful opportunity to see Eric Clapton in concert at an 8000 seat arena.  She took a video of a portion of the concert and shared it with me.

Truthfully, one would think that Mr. Clapton was born with a guitar in his hands and he is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Groups, The Yardbirds and Cream; and as a solo artist).  To say he is a powerhouse is an absolute understatement.

As much as his music will be with us forever; it is something else about Mr. Clapton that strikes an incredible chord  (pun intended) with me.  I know a little bit about Mr. Clapton as I am a fan; and his life is a fascinating tale.  This man had an incredible life that was as full with as many ups, as downs; and as I watched the video sent to me, I kept thinking of what I knew about his life and the thought struck me; how is this man still standing?

His drug and alcohol abuse is well-known but yet it is the death of his son that really hit home with me.  The tragedy of his son, Conor, falling from a 53rd story window at the age of four should have sent him off the deep end forever.  I know it would have surely done me in.

Mr. Clapton knows music.  And it is in here where he found his solace and poured his love into what he knew.  He  created; Tears in Heaven for his son.  It won a slew of awards which I am sure had little solace on the grieving father.  A video on you tube tells the story of Conor with his father’s music as a sound track.  You can click here to see it. 
Be warned that it is a tough film to watch and is 8 minutes long.  It is an absolute heart breaking story.  After watching it, you are even more convinced that no one could continue on after this incident; but somehow he did.

The reason this resonated with me as much as it did comes down to two words.  What I call “staying power'”.   How this man could have survived decades and decades of ‘beyond roller coaster’ events in his life, and still continue, puzzled me greatly.  If you read anything about his life you will see that the troubles are as plentiful as the highlights.  But he had ‘staying power’ in doing both what he knew, and what he believed.

It really comes down to those simple words that I have quoted before from the movie, Shawshank Redemption; “Get busy living or get busy dying.”  The plain and simple truth is that with everything Mr. Clapton has been through, he keeps performing and he keeps playing simply because he’s is not done yet.

Not done yet!

It’s a very simple phrase but as one reread s the horrors of this man’s life, his drive has always remained constant; to make great music.  And when it comes to that; he’s not done yet.

Life is train barreling down a track at great speeds.  At times it’s unkind and downright cruel.  We all have experienced great pain, we have all faced disappointment but no matter what is thrown in our way; it’s up to us to continue on that road.

In Mr. Clapton’s life it is his music.  What is your music?   Perhaps it’s to maintain your family and keep them happy and healthy, perhaps it’s to make a difference in the world around you in a cause that is important, or perhaps it’s something that you have yet to find. Whatever it is, keep at it.

What is it that derails you from the very thing you were put here to do?  If we can learn anything from the life of Eric Clapton is that no matter what; NO MATTER WHAT it is that life has ‘dropped’ on your plate, it’s always, and only, up to you what you do with it.  Whatever it is, you must keep ‘making music’.

And when you make that choice, keep making our own music.  No matter what.  Mine, not by my own choice, is making our diabetes world better to live and to find the cure I know is still out there, and to be quite truthful with you; I’m nowhere near done yet.  How about you?

I am a diabetes dad.

Please visit my Diabetes Dad FB Page and hit ‘like’