"Just like starting over . . ."

No one who knows me should be surprised at the Lennon lyrics. Least of all me. Beatle and Lennon tunes have been swirling around in my brain for more than 40 (awk!) years. But lately I seem to be able to relate the scenes of my life to each one of their songs.

As I drove home Friday evening, hitting I78 doing 80 mph, sunroof open and the Fab Four blaring, I could feel my spirits lift. Part of it was that I was moving east on I78 and not west. Part of it was the music. It was joyous, sad, harmonious and dissonate - all at once, representing the times of their lives and mine. From "Please Please Me" to "A Day in the Life."

There is always something in a culture that defines one's life. For me it's the music of John, Paul, George, and Ringo - collectively and (after the break-up) separately. There is a song for every mood in my life. There are songs that bring back the memories of "I was ___ when I first heard . . ." I will probably travel to the Summerland to the strains of "Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Da."

But tonight it's John's love song to Yoko - about starting over - that drifts in and out of my thoughts. I wrote a Johnism in an earlier entry: "Today is the first day of the rest of your life."

We start over every day we wake up.

Back to work tomorrow. Back to a stack of paperwork, unanswered phone and email messages. Back to problems that have sat for a week while I traveled. I have decided that problems at and with work will not define my day, my week, my month. My work does not define who I really am.

It will feel like I'm starting over and I will start all over - again. And that's good.