by Marty Dodson
Apr 21, 2023
I look at the songs I write as footprints.
They are what remain of me after I pass through a place. Yesterday, I passed through another day of writing and I left behind a song that represents ME. Two songs, actually. I poured my heart and soul into them and I’m proud of what I created. Someday, when I’m gone, my dream is that my children will be able to put on a playlist of my songs and remember who I was. Maybe they will even learn something about me that they didn’t know. They can talk to my grandchildren or great-grandchildren and tell them about the man I was and what I stood for.
The picture I’m painting with my music is far more important to me than money, critical acclaim, or awards.
It is my one chance to define Marty Dodson, the man, in my own words. In a way, I’m writing my autobiography in musical form. I hope that those who come behind me will see that I loved my children recklessly, that I was madly in love with my wife, and that I charged into life headlong without fear or hesitation. I want them to know that I believed in loving everyone I meet to the best of my ability and that being a good friend was high on my priority list. And I want them to see that I LOVED to laugh. If my children can listen to my songs and hear those messages, then I will have done my job. My hope is that the footprints I leave behind will be ones that are worthy of walking in, just as you might step along in footprints someone left in the sand. Whether you write blogs, songs, novels, or some other form of written work, don’t take it lightly. You hold in your hand the pen that will tell YOUR story – if you choose to share it. Don’t hold back. Pour yourself in as the words flow out. Someone is walking behind you trying to find the best places to step. Show them the way.
Write on! Marty
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