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My Gen X Playlist: Landslide – Bush

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I really enjoy 50 Happens’ blog. A recent post discussed sunsetting some of things you always envision doing when you were younger.

I’m sure there are lots of people out there that start wonderful new adventures at age 60, but I think, for most of us, that feeling that the path is wide open is over. That “open road” feeling you had in your 20s, 30s & 40s—that life could still potentially take you anywhere—has passed.

I’m not saying these things can’t happen in your sixties, but they usually don’t. Those big forks in the road are in the rearview mirror and your focus shifts to the twenty good years or so that you hopefully have left.

50 Happens

The idea of removing items from the list and watching them grow smaller in the rear view mirror really got to me because there is a lot of truth to her words. I always had an unofficial list of things I wanted to check off, but never actually put pen to paper until now. So here goes:

House flipping – I still watch house flipping shows on HGTV and get excited. But if you’ve been a reader of this blog for awhile, you’ll know I don’t have a DIY bone in my entire body.

Get an MBA – ever since college, this has been the plan. I don’t need it at this point in my career. Instead, I’m considering going back to school for another degree that is more personal interest rather than for professional use.

Climb Mount Kilimanjaro – We met a few people on our Machu Picchu trek that summited Kilimanjaro. Another dude road a horse across the Mongolian plains. The adventures out there are endless.

Watch the Great Migration across the Serengeti – I researched this when my buddy and I were considering ditching our jobs for a one year trip around the world. We didn’t go on that trip, but the Serengeti has been calling me ever since.

Open a coffee house – this has been a dream of mine since my twenties. Brick walls, local art, live music and open mics. I even found the perfect building down the street when I lived near the artist district in downtown Los Angeles. Just thinking about it made me let out a big sigh.

Start coffee roasting business – I bought a coffee roasting machine and used to roast my own beans. I still roast an occasional batch. I bought it with the intention of creating a side hustle.

Start my own sportswear company – I’ve been wanting to do this since high school. I remember designing logos and taglines. I think this originated when I looked for cool t-shirt designs and thought they were all meh. I keep thinking about creating my own designs and sourcing them independently.

Create a magazine – I’ve been thinking about this since my twenties. But publishing something was pie in the sky. These days, a digital publication is less daunting. In fact, that’s what led me to the WordPress site and then to a random idea of creating this blog.

Write a novel – I know. I know. I’m like the rest of America. Writing a novel always felt overwhelming. When I was younger, I read Stephen King’s The Body (later became the movie Stand by Me), Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption (later became the movie The Shawshank Redemption) and Steve Martin’s Shopgirl and it opened my eyes to the idea of starting smaller, like writing a novella. I like the idea of bite size pieces.

Running with the Bulls – After college my buddy and I backpacked through Europe. Our trip was centered around Running with the Bulls in Pamplona. We attended the festival, but ended up on the sidelines. One of the few regrets I have in life.

Jump in my car and drive east without an itinerary to see America, just like John Steinbeck in Travels with Charley.

After watching the movie, The Way, I’ve dreamed about walking the Camino de Santiago. I love the idea of a spiritual walk. This one will never leave my list.

Some of the expiration dates on these have probably passed. No sense opening the milk carton to take a whiff, I already know. Some I’m sad about, others it is what it is. But there are a few I still think I can keep for a little while longer. Each year that passes I may feel a little differently. I’ll just have to play it by ear.

Landslide is one of my favorite songs. The original by Fleetwood Mac already made the playlist. Over the years, I’ve discovered a number of really good covers. Although I listened to the Smashing Pumpkins’ version a lot in the 90’s, I have to admit that I like Bush’s acoustic version a little bit more. When I think about changing seasons in my life, I always think of this song. Even though Stevie Nicks wrote this when she was in her twenties, she couldn’t have been more spot on.

Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

–

For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

I took my love, I took it down
I climbed a mountain and I turned around
And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills
'Till the landslide brought me down

Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

Well, I've been afraid of changing
'Cause I've built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Even children get older
And I'm getting older too

Well, I've been afraid of changing
'Cause I've built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Even children get older
And I'm getting older too
Oh, I'm getting older too

Oh, take my love, take it down
Oh, climb a mountain and turn around
And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills
Well the landslide will bring it down
And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills
Well the landslide will bring it down, oh oh
The landslide will bring it down

28 thoughts on “My Gen X Playlist: Landslide – Bush”

  3. I had a similar realization myself a few months back. I’m not quite to the point of permanently removing things from my list, but I’m realizing that it’s going to basically be this decade or never.

    I haven’t heard the Bush version of the song yet. I’ll have to check it out. But the original is going to be very hard to top.

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    1. I still find it unbelievable that I’m in my fifties. Time passes by too fast. What’s the saying? The days are long but the years are short….

      Yeah, it’s too difficult to top the original, I agree

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  4. Oooo, I’m glad I inspired you to put your “wildest dreams” list in black and white. A few of them (flipping houses, writing fiction) surprise me! I feel like I know you a little better just reading the list.

    Also, I like this version of Landslide. It’s cool hearing a man sing it! It’s such a low song for a woman, but hearing it in the high part of this guy’s register gives me a totally different feeling. Swoon!

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    1. I thought the male version was pretty cool, especially his tone. So different from Billy Corgan’s version from the Smashing Pumpkins.

      Flipping houses sounds totally interesting, but I’ve seen too many first time flipper shows to know I’d be a disaster!

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  7. Love this version–I’ve enjoyed the various other covers. It’s just such a beautiful song.

    My “bucket list” has sprung a few leaks over the decades. I still hold onto making a trip to London somehow work, but as the years pass and the world gets a little crazier, it’s looking less likely. I’ve let go of so many dreams, like mylar balloons into the wind, that it makes me grieve if I dwell too long on them.

    I live vicariously through others, but maybe–just maybe–I’ll get to experience that trip to London one day while I can still walk.

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    1. I hope you are able to plug the leaks for a little while. It’s always good to keep a few things on the list. And I hear you about the world gone crazy. It has. But I truly hope you get to see London. Sometimes balloons have a way of finding their way back…

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  8. Absolutely beautiful post, maybe my favorite you’ve ever written, and so cool that it was inspired by MaryG’s blog, which I love as well. I have to see The Way, now! The Camino de Santiago walk is something I’m drawn to as well.

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  9. That’s a great list of things you want to accomplish. Some of those were on my list too (MBA, house flipping, write a novel). I especially wanted to open a tea house once, the kind with scones, mini sandwiches, and desserts. I don’t think I’ll do any of those anymore because I have a new list of priorities. Our list can change with age too, I guess.

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  10. Your bucket list is incredible, and I hope you can check off some of it. I support you, and I believe you can do it! At 50, you are still young, healthy, and vibrant.
    Also, I am glad you removed the MBA from your list! It’s a waste of time and money 💰

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  11. I’ve learned that even if I can’t achieve my big dreams, I can modify them to create smaller versions that are still meaningful.

    Beautiful song by the way.

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  12. Interesting, there was a time when owning a coffee shop was something I really wanted to do. I pictured people drinking coffee and reading their favorite books. Awesome! “Landslide” is one of my favorites. Great post, and I’m going to check 50 Happens next.

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    1. I had similar thoughts about the coffee house. A lot more chill than corporate America. But deep down inside I’m sure running a small business has its own stresses. I’m sure you’ll enjoy 50 Happens!

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