I’ve been playing guitar again after a little break. The first thing you notice when you pick up a guitar after abandoning it for a while is that it hurts like hell to play for very long. That’s because the calluses are gone from your fingertips, and those calluses protect  you from the friction and cutting action of the guitar strings.

You have to tolerate the pain for a while until the calluses come back. After that you don’t notice the pain at all, and the guitar becomes more and more of a pleasure to play.

I’m sure there’s a “thick skin” life lesson in there somewhere. I’m not entirely sure I’ve learned it yet, but I will say this: The more I play guitar, the more I want to play guitar. And at age (nearly) 53, having farted around with a guitar on and off for the better part of 28 years or so, it’s good to know that I can still learn things and discover new experiences. To quote Muddy: I may be getting old, but I’ve got young-fashioned ways.