Simple Days

Simple Days Entertainment is the name I chose for my company many years ago. Many people have asked me about my company’s name. I struggled finding a name but eventually settled on the title of a song I wrote about my grandfather. It is a name that reminds me to pause and consider the more important things in life.

My grandfather was a simple but talented man. He was intelligent and creative. He was a musician. He was part of a band in his youth. He was a gifted craftsman and could build anything, including a ferris wheel in our backyard. He served in the Army during World War II and told us many stories of his time in the service. He worked every day in a textile mill in North Carolina. He was not a wealthy man but provided for his family. He worked on the machines in the mill. He had suffered damage to his hearing from all of the years around the loud equipment. Although he did not finish school, he taught us about most of the important things in life.

My childhood was spent at his home. We lived there for much of my early life until I left for school. He woke me up every morning and made my breakfast. We knew he loved us by the words he spoke and the life he lived. I still miss him today.

One of the things I loved most was the one on one time I spent with my grandfather. He would say, “Let’s go out to the front porch and watch the weather come in.” I used to laugh at this phrase. It symbolized so much of how I felt about the small town life. Life was slow. It was simple. We would go out to the front porch and sit in our rocking chair. After a while, he would begin to talk to me about life, love, the War, faith, manners, and our family history. Sometimes he would pull out a guitar and sing. Other times he would just sit and wait.

I was perplexed in my youth by the concept of sitting on a rocking chair long enough to see the weather patterns change. I wanted to move faster. I longed for a place where I could move at the speed of light. I sometimes felt like people around me were moving in slow motion.

I left soon after my graduation from high school and pursued my future with passion. I met so many people and situations in the building years of my life. I had successes. I had failures. I encountered people that loved and I met people that lied. I knew the thrill of succeeding and the painful ache of failures.

It was during one particularly tough time that I starting thinking about my youth. My mind went back to my hometown, especially the times with my grandfather. During my time of reminiscing, I started writing a song.

Just my Grandpa and me
And a cool Southern breeze
Singing songs he used to sing back then
Just a boy with childhood dreams
In a world of simple things
Life was so much easier back then
Simple days
Gone away
Just me and the songs we used to play…
Wish I could go back to Simple Days

As I grew older, I found myself missing those times. There is something refining about growing older. It allows our ambition to softened. The wrong motives and drives are challenged. We are reminded of the things that really matter.

Several years ago, I was back in North Carolina. This time it was for my grandfather’s funeral. While we were waiting to go to his funeral service, we all sat on the front porch. We remembered the times we would spend with him. Everyone had learned about life on that front porch. Our attitude about commitment and honor were fashioned during those simple times. It is amazing to think of all the profound life impact that came from quiet times looking out at the open sky.

I have traveled around the world. I have seen mountain tops and the lowest valleys. There is still few places on earth I would rather revisit than sitting with my grandfather watching the weather come in.

Wish I could go back to Simple Days.