My Gen X Playlist: Closer to Fine – The Indigo Girls

Daily writing prompt

If you were going to open up a shop, what would you sell?

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I’ve always wanted to roast coffee and own a coffee house. I’ve spent a lot of time in coffee houses and like the idea of owning a place where the community could congregate and find a little respite from their busy lives. That’s the reason I frequented coffee houses and they provided me just what I needed – breathing room.

I found the building that I wanted to convert into my coffee house. It was a triangular shaped building at the tip of a street separation. The street veered to either side of it in a Y shape, creating the triangular outline of the building. It was a two story building and I imagined I would convert the top floor into a loft and live upstairs. The building was located not too far from downtown Los Angeles’s artist district, so of course local art would hang from the brick walls. Long wooden communal tables and vintage sofas and chairs. I remember once walking up to the vacant building, wiping the dirt from a window and peering in. It was perfect. Most nights, there would be something. Live music. Nothing better than an acoustic guitar. Open mic poetry reading. Once at a reading, I watched a girl passionately writing her inspiration on her coffee cup. I wanted that type of atmosphere. Open mic comedy. Laughter is healing and I admire anyone brave enough to stand in front of a crowd to make them smile. I wanted a neighborhood place that allowed people to feel safe to share and receive creative inspiration. Throw in a good cup of joe, what more could you ask for?

The music playlist would be important. I like the thought of the Indigo Girl’s Closer to Fine playing in the background. Closer to Fine is about seeking wisdom and understanding in a search for answers. It was meaningful to me when I was trying to figure out life’s direction during my college years and equally meaningful now as I continue that same search in my “greying years”. It’s timeless and inspires me to continue moving towards being closer to fine. I can’t think of a better message to wrap around a cup of coffee.

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For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

I'm trying to tell you something about my life
Maybe give me insight between black and white
And the best thing you've ever done for me
Is to help me take my life less seriously
It's only life after all

Well, darkness has a hunger that's insatiable
And lightness has a call that's hard to hear
And I wrap my fear around me like a blanket
I sailed my ship of safety 'til I sank it
I'm crawling on your shores

And I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountains
There's more than one answer to these questions pointing me in a crooked line
And the less I seek my source for some definitive
Closer I am to fine
Closer I am to fine

And I went to see the doctor of philosophy
With a poster of Rasputin and a beard down to his knee
He never did marry or see a B-grade movie
He graded my performance, he said he could see through me
I spent four years prostrate to the higher mind
Got my paper and I was free

I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountains
There's more than one answer to these questions pointing me in crooked line
And the less I seek my source for some definitive
Closer I am to fine
Closer I am to fine

I stopped by the bar at 3 A.M
To seek solace in a bottle or possibly a friend
And I woke up with a headache like my head against a board
Twice as cloudy as I'd been the night before
And I went in seeking clarity

I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountain

We go to the doctor, we go to the mountains
We look to the children, we drink from the fountain

We go to the Bible, we go through the workout
We read up on revival, we stand up for the lookout
There's more than one answer to these questions pointing me in a crooked line
And the less I seek my source for some definitive
Closer I am to fine
Closer I am to fine
Closer I am to fine