I have four Jeffs in my life and one of them, Jeff R #1., is visiting with us this weekend. Here he is at dinner with a glass of wine in one hand and a Twizzler in the other. Like me, he’s a pleasant mix of serious and silly.
We met on the set of The Music Man in 2012 when the two of us had the pleasure of performing Harold Hill (me) and his loyal friend, Marcellus (Jeff). For fifty two performances we had the pleasure of singing on stage and goofing around off stage together. And we haven’t stopped, yet.
While I chopped the salad, Jeff played us a tune by Nanci Griffith, another sung by Eve Cassidy and one of his own written for a production of “As You Like It.” This Jeff is obviously a multitalented dude. Not only does he act, sing, compose and play – he’s proficient in origami, teaches drama at the college level and stops for a misty sunset when he sees one. This photo was taken at the end of yesterday’s walk.
I love being with friends. I’ve said it before but it bears repeating: our original impetus to travel was to see things, but what we most enjoy are people. Yessir, acoustic music, hearty laughter and deep soul talk are the three things that fill me with love and we get the trifecta with this Jeff!
Before I leave this post, I’ll give a shout out to three other Jeffs (and there are actually more).
Jeff C. is our Canadian Nashville buddy, the first producer we worked with and the man I recently co-wrote a song with alongside an Iraq war veteran. This Jeff is also one of the few select friends who call me Cotchie (a story for another day). You’re welcome to call me that too, btw.
Jeff M. is an even older friend, one of a few pals from elementary school days. This Jeff and I played basketball together in high school. (Well, he played and I sat on the bench.) Jeff, a Pulitzer Prize winner in sports journalism and a fantastic author, lives in Louisiana with his wife and I hope to eat crawfish on the gulf with Beth and both of them one fine night.
Finally, there’s Jeff R #2. He is one of my fellow travelers, a term we use in ACA to describe the folks doing the hard work of recovery in Adult Children of Alcoholics. As I write this, I’m sending out a prayer to him as he navigates some difficult times. I love you Jeff and thank you for all the support you’ve given me.
It’s 3:15 am and time for me to go back to sleep. Good night, Jeffs, and good night to you all. May you be as lucky as I am to have lots of good friends and memories to give you pleasant dreams.
