The internal clock on my smartphone was stuck on Central Time for a couple days last week.

All appointments I entered into my calendar automatically offset by an hour. I was constantly checking another source to verify what time it really was.

All appointments I entered into my calendar automatically offset by an hour. I was constantly checking another source to verify what time it really was.

What caused the technical hiccup?

While I’ll probably never know for sure, I’m guessing our time zone hopping on Monday probably didn’t help. Our trip home Monday took us from Atlanta (Eastern Time) to Utah (Mountain Time) via a layover in Phoenix (Pacific Time at the moment since Arizona doesn’t participate in Daylight Savings). Yet with all our bouncing around, other than flying through it, we never spent any time in the Central Time Zone.

Twilight Zone mystery? Perhaps.

Maybe operator technical error, though a software issue appears more likely as a firmware update fixed the problem.

Come to find out, I fixed the problem a day too early.

That was Wednesday night. Thursday night found me transported back to Central Time in Pocatello, Idaho.

No, Pocatello didn’t do a Twilight movement. Central Time, or more correctly Tulsa Time, came to Pocatello in the form of the Gentle Giant riding on the Gypsy Lady.

Classic country artist Don Williams is the Gentle Giant. His tour bus is the Gypsy Lady.

Confession: I didn’t actually see the Gypsy Lady, but I did see the Gentle Giant so I’m going on the assumption the Lady brought the Giant to town.

I don’t believe in superstars organic food and foreign cars
I don’t believe the price of gold the certainty of growing old
That right is right and left is wrong that north and south can’t get along
That east is east and west is west and being first is always best
But I believe in love I believe in babies I believe in mom and dad and I believe in you
I Believe, Don Williams

I discovered Don Williams in the winter of 1986 in sunny Plant City, Florida.

A new friend, who I had the opportunity to mentor and teach her and her children, introduced me to him. Jenny was an avid fan and had seen Don in concert three years earlier at the Florida Strawberry Festival. We enjoyed an evening listening, laughing, and connecting.

That’s what music does.

Connects.

To each other. To ourselves. To our past.

Perhaps even to our future.

I can still hear the soft southern winds in the live oak trees
And those Williams boys they still mean a lot to me
Hank and Tennessee
I guess we’re all gonna be what we’re gonna be
So what do you do with good ole boys like me
Good Ole Boys Like Me, Don Williams

Jenny’s family and I connected that night in Plant City nearly 30 years ago. Our lives intertwined over hope, discouragement, happiness, and frustration. A few weeks later when I transferred to another area in Central Florida, Jenny gave me a signed Don Williams concert program as a memento of our friendship. It was the only one she had.

In the front, she penned a brief note that read in part, “May you always remember…”

Lord, I hope this day is good,
I’m feelin’ empty and misunderstood
I should be thankful Lord, I know I should
But Lord, I hope this day is good
Lord I Hope This Day Is Good, Don Williams

There may be times when “feelin’ empty and misunderstood” seems par for our course in life.

On those days, it’s really alright, though permission is never needed, to hope your day will be good even though there is no reason for it to be so.

Having an anchor in our life can bring hope to life, shelter us when the storms are simply too much, and feed us when we’re emotionally hungry.

Find that anchor, whether a best friend, your family, or a higher power. Find it.

You’re my bread when I’m hungry
You’re my shelter from troubled winds
You’re my anchor in life’s ocean
But most of all you’re my best friend
You’re my best friend, Don Williams

Then when you find you’ve been through it, and there’s no more foolin’ around, set your watch back to Tulsa Time and find your home.

Livin’ on Tulsa time livin’ on Tulsa time
Gonna set my watch back to it
Cause you know I’ve been through it
Livin’ on Tulsa time
Tulsa Time, Don Williams

If you’re up for a treat, sit back and enjoy this behind the scene look at the Don Williams sound or this live outdoor concert from 2013.

Have a great Monday. Thanks for letting me share!

Les

p.s. Take 13 minutes today to learn a lesson from me and back up what’s important on your phone, including voicemails! Two weeks ago my own operator error caused me to lose all the voicemails I had saved from my Dad.

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