Service can come in all shapes and sizes.

This story is very touching because it's based on something real: a 73 year romance. But it's also the story of a songwriter who performed an act of love. An act of service to another.

After viewing this video, it occurred to me that I have at least a few songs on Tales from the Bonus Round that were written in just this manner, including the true story of the mother of a soldier she's just driven to the airport, and has come home to find all the games and toys he bought during the break scattered all over the floor.

Writing with, and for, other people is something I love doing. Back in L.A., at Kulak's Woodshed, Marc Platt and I ran a "drop-in" songwriter class. We'd get some young people, but the most interesting, to me, were the women, all over 40, who'd been singing or working around the periphery of the songwriting world, and hadn't really tried writing.

I wrote on the WDS board that this act of service to this man, donating their time and talent, is now creating a community of people who are deeply touched. And the community is now propelling this man on a great adventure of being able to share his love for this woman. And she is gorgeous in those old pics.

But let's also be fair to the musicians, Jacob Colgan and "Green Shoe Studios," we wouldn't have sat there listening to the old man's version of this song. It would not exist without them.

And I'm glad they had the smarts to make a good video about it. 

Random Thoughts and Jim Home.

It's always fun when Jim gets home from a long trip. We're so excited to see each other, we're like chattering monkeys. We'll put on a TV show and realize, halfway through, we haven't been listening to the show. We've been too busy talking to each other.

He really missed being home. But he does love the people in Florida, especially the musicians playing his show. He said they became a very tight combo together, singing and playing the songs from "Character Man," which has evolved now into a full 90-min. musical, albeit a personal one.

"Hi, there! Got my own personal musical here in this bag!"

I recently got a note from a most beloved young man I met on the long bonus round road. He was just a little kid when we met, but he had already developed a theatrical flair, introducing one of my concerts imitating the Mike Myers character from Saturday Night Live, Linda Richmond.

I mentioned before, it's one of the miracles of getting older. Suddenly, the children you used to know are young adults, filled with ambition, dreams, talent and energy. I have this same naive belief in myself, even at age 59, that I'm soon to conquer the world. And why not? What else should one do on a Tuesday?

Anyway, he asked me, now that he's moved to the City, what he should do. And I gave him the same answer I give every young person trying to get into show business. First, surround yourself with a community of people who are different from you, more talented than you, better looking than you, more driven than you, and make yourself useful to them even if it's just contributing your talent to the pool.

For instance, I've spoken a lot about contributing my voice as tenor to the small (but mighty) choir at Christ Church in Brooklyn that needs as many trained (or trainable) voices as they can get. In return, I'm getting a university level education in composition and performance, not to mention the fact that this is where Jim and I met Carl Conway Maguire who is responsible for us getting parts in the "Old Timers" movie.

It always seems to come back to adventure, service and community. Though, as I wrote recently elsewhere, start with the service, if you don't have a community in mind. Service leads to community, which then results in adventure. It has worked for me my entire life.

And what this has to do with Jim, I don't know.

But it's so nice to have him home.