The Johnny Cash I Knew. A Kind and Caring Man
Before I retired on January 30, retired people often told me:
"You will wonder where the time goes and be busier than ever."
I suspected they were right. I had been building a bucket list
over the years and it had several items on it. The top item: travel with my partner
Greta as much as we can while our health permits. In April and May, we took a
nice trip to Europe.
Second item on the list: exercise. Stand Up Paddle Boarding (SUP)
at Baby Beach in Dana Point Harbor fulfills that goal 3-4 times per week.
Other items: continue writing this column, and then there was
preparation for the fantasy football season, which kicks off this week.
One item had been on the original bucket list since 2005, the year
the movie Walk The Line--the
portrayal of Johnny Cash's life--was released. I had a problem with the movie;
I felt the portrayal of Johnny was way too negative.
Why did that concern me? I knew Johnny Cash and worked with him
for two years in the mid-1970s when I was the marketing director for the
Victoria Station restaurant chain. I had hired Johnny to do our radio
commercials and got to know him well. He was one of the nicest guys you'll ever
meet.
That 10-year bucket list item: Write a book that would reveal the
kind and caring side of Johnny Cash that I had witnessed first-hand. I simply
wanted to set the record straight. Before retiring, I didn't have time to
finish it.
Finally, 10 years later, over this summer, I wrote the book. Last
week, I put the full-court press on finishing it. If you don't do it that way
with a book, you'll never get it done. On Friday, I uploaded the finished book
to one of the largest online Ebook bookstores in the world, Smashwords.com.
The title: "The Johnny Cash I Knew. A Kind and Caring
Man." Most of the 17 pictures were taken 40 years ago with my old Kodak
camera and there are many examples of Johnny's kindness in the book.
To read more about this book, or to purchase it as an ebook on Smashwords.com, follow the linkTom's Johnny Cash book on www.smashwords.com
The most unique experience with Johnny: Going into San Quentin
Prison with him for a concert.
Many older people tell me they want to write a book, to leave a
legacy for their families. Ebooks are a great way to accomplish that goal
without much cost, and, after they are published, they can be updated and
changed. I invite readers to contact me if they have questions about ebook
publishing.
So, with the book published, it's time to turn to other bucket
list items, but which ones? Therein lies the challenge of retirement: which activity
to tackle next? Those retirees who said "You'll be busier than ever"
were right.
Maybe I'll open a restaurant. Nope, already done that one for 26 years. It's
probably time for another trip with Greta.
No comments:
Post a Comment