The [Ever-Changing] Adventure That is Your Life & EXCERPT: “Giving Flowers for Now & for Later” (the “missing” Sunday post) September 21, 2025

Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone celebrating a Marian feast day and/or living a life of friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom on the International Day of Peace.

Stay safe! Live well! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.

This “missing” post for Sunday, September 21^st is a compilation post featuring a short note and a slightly revised/extended excerpt from a previously posted Sukkot post. At least one link embedded in the main post will direct you to YouTube. You can request an audio recording of this practice or a previous practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra      (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

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“Do you remember
The 21^st night of September?
Love was changing the minds of pretenders
While chasing the clouds away”

— quoted from the song “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire (written by Allee Willis, Maurice White, Al Mckay) 

“Do you remember / the 21^st night of September”… 1979? The song September was recorded in September 1978, and released a couple of months later (in November). By September 21, 1979, it was a hit all over the Western world and, eventually, would be a hit all over the world. So, if you are of a certain age — or have parents of a certain age — you remember a time, a place (as well as the clothes), and overall vibe associated with that time.

If you are younger, you might think of it as an internet meme. You might have even spent several years looking forward to the date when you were expecting¹ Demi Adejuyigbe to release another video.

Either way, the song is on the soundtrack of many people’s lives.

“Our hearts were ringing
In the key that our souls were singing
As we danced in the night, remember
How the stars stole the night away, oh yeah”

— quoted from the song “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire (written by Allee Willis, Maurice White, Al Mckay)

Maybe it was earlier, but I feel like it was in college when one of my favorite people pointed out that we all have a soundtrack to our life. Our soundtracks feature music that marks our highs and lows and all the preludes and interludes in between. This is the music that remind us of different times, different people, different adventures. This is the music that plays in the background as we dance through life.

Right now, in fact, there might be a song popping up in your mind that brings up memories.

There are hundreds of millions (maybe billions) of recorded songs in the world and many of those songs could meet you in a time and a place. However, the songs that pop up on your mental soundtrack actually date you; because, more often than not, the songs we associate with our lives were created when we were coming of age.

“Remember that life’s length is not measured by its hours and days, but by that which we have done therein. A useless life is short if it lasts a century. There are greater and better things in us all, if we would find them out. There will always be in this world—wrongs. No wrong is really successful. The day will come when light and truth and the just and the good shall be victorious and wrong as evil will be no more forever.”

— Walter Breuning (b. 09/21/1896), during his 113th birthday celebration in 2009

Can you imagine the songs that might have highlighted the life of Walter Breuning?

Born in Melrose, Minnesota today (September 21^st) in 1896, Walter Breuning passed away on April 14, 2011 at the age of 14 years and 205 days. Up until his death, the supercentenarian was the oldest living man and the third-oldest man to be verified. At one point, he was also the oldest living American and the oldest living retired railroad worker in the United States. While some parts of life might not have seem notable at the time he was experiencing them, Mr. Breuning had a sharp mind, a sharp wit, and his memories served as a living time capsule.

Walter Breuning had two brothers and two sisters and lived in Minnesota until the age of 5, when his family moved to De Smet, South Dakota. Like many people living in small towns in America in the early 1900s, life was hard and young Walter had to drop out of school and start working at an early age. He worked at a bakery, at a café, and for the Great Northern Railway (even though he was technically too young when he first started working at the railway). He signed up for the draft during World War I, but was never called up, and was too old to be drafted by the time the United States joined World War II. At 22, he moved to Montana, where he would live the rest of his life.

Mr. Breuning was a Freemason and enjoyed a good cigar for most of his life. While many believed he had only been married once, to Agnes (née Sharpe) Twokey, who died in 1957, a marriage certificate discovered after his death indicated that Walter Breuning had remarried in 1958. His second wife, Margaret (née Daniels) Vanest died in 1975.

In addition to outliving his wives, Mr. Breuning (naturally) outlived his parents (who died at ages 50 and 46); his paternal and maternal grandparents (who died in their 90s); and his siblings (who lived to the ages of 78, 85, 91, and 100). He survived colon cancer (diagnosed and treated when he was 64); a broken hip (when he was 108); and a fall (just before he turned 113). He was fitted for hearing aids when he was 111 and used a walker and then motorized scooter during the last year of his life. However, he rebounded fairly quickly from his injuries and illnesses and went on about his business right up until the end of his life. When he passed, he was survived by a niece and three nephews (all in the 80s), as well as a host of great-nieces and great-nephews.

Many people, including Steve Hartman, interviewed Walter Breuning about his life, his adventures, and his longevity. He attributed some of his longevity to his diet — which included fruit as a snack, lots of water, and a bit of coffee — and some to his daily walks, as well as to his interaction with his community (which included people he only knew through correspondence).

Of course, he always had a little bit of advice:

“If you keep your mind busy and keep your body busy, you’re going to be around a long time.”

— Walter Breuning (b. 09/21/1896), on his 112th birthday, in 2008

While I don’t know about Walter Breuning’s taste in music or books, I do know that he regularly listened to the radio and read the newspaper (up until his eyesight started to weaken). So, I imagine that he would have at least heard of some of the people that inspired my September 21^st playlist. I don’t know, however, if he knew that they shared his birthday.

The following is a slightly revised (and extended) excerpt from a 2021 post about Sukkot and gratitude.

Click here for the entire original post (which includes playlists featuring music from the soundtrack of the original The Time Machine).

“Don’t let the sun go down without saying thank you to someone, and without admitting to yourself that absolutely no one gets this far alone.”

— quoted from the 2005 University of Maine Commencement Speech by Stephen King

As more and more people pass away at an early age, especially those whose deaths are tragic, we hear the old saying that we should give people their flowers when they are living. Although I can’t find the original source, Anne Frank is often quoted as writing “Dead people receive more flowers than the living ones because regret is stronger than gratitude.” How scary is that? I mean, to me, the idea that someone could come to the end of their days — or live all of their days — not knowing how much they are loved and appreciated is very scary and unsettling. The human heart can hold a lot of love and a lot of kindness, even a lot of courage, wisdom, and generosity. But, the human heart can also hold its fair share of regret, fear, judgement, hatred, selfishness, self-centeredness and inconsideration.

The aforementioned “negative” sentiments may or may not seem really scary to you, but think about how they are expressed in the world. Then think about how those expressions in the world manifest in books by Stephen King.

Born September 21, 1947, Mr. King is an acknowledged expert in horror, suspense, supernatural fiction, who has also written crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. His (65-and-counting) novels and hundreds of short stories and novellas (like Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, from 1982), as well as his non-fiction work, have sold hundreds of millions of copies, won hundreds of awards, been adapted into movies and comic books, and creeped the living daylights out of people all over the world. And, it doesn’t matter if you use his first novel, Carrie (1974), or Pet Sematary (1983) or Misery (1987) or (one of my favorites) The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999), every Stephen King story starts with a “what if” and then proceeds to give us a glimpse into the best and the worst parts of the human heart. And the worst parts can be really scary.

Of course, there is more to Stephen King than scary stories. He is also a musician who has collaborated with artists like Foo Fighters and Bronson Arroyo, as well as John Mellencamp, and played guitar for the Rock Bottom Remainders. He is also a husband, father, grandfather, a Boston Red Sox fan, a philanthropic (and political) activist, and a recovering addict. In addition to inspiring two of his own children to become published authors, he has written books on writing and reportedly “donates [millions every year] to libraries, local fire departments that need updated lifesaving equipment”, schools, and arts-related organizations. He and his wife Tabitha King (neé Spruce), who is also an author and activist, support Maine charities and communities through their foundation. They also own a radio station group.

While I haven’t read everything he has ever written, I am a Stephen King fan and I appreciate his work and his life — and I appreciate how both have made me think about my work, my life, and the world-at-large.

“Either get busy living or get busy dying.”

— quoted from the film the novella “Rita Hawyworth and Shawshank Redemption: Hope Springs Eternal” by Stephen King

Like Stephen King, Herbert George Wells was born on September 21^st (in 1866) and was a prolific writer of novels, short stories, and non-fiction including works of history, satire, biography, and autobiography. While his work is also full of social commentary and glimpses into the human heart, when most people think of H. G. Wells, they think of science fiction like The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896), War of the Worlds (1897), and When The Sleeper Wakes (1899).

Like Mr. King, Mr. Wells suffered an accident that severely injured one of his legs and left him bedridden for an extended period of time. There are several obvious differences between the two accidents, including the fact that the accident that happened to Stephen King happened when he was a successful adult, writing about writing; while young “Bertie” suffered his accident as an eight year old. It’s interesting to me that the very advice Mr. King gives in On Writing — to read as much as possible — is the very experience that led Mr. Wells to write (a hundred years earlier).

H. G. Wells got people to think. He got people to think, “What if…?” He inspired authors and scientists like Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Frank Herbert, Carl Sagan, Ursula Le Guin, Sinclair Lewis, Jorge Luis Borges, and Margaret Atwood. He predicted a world war, the atomic bomb, and wrote about a “world brain”, which was basically an encyclopedia accessible by the entire world through another of his fantastical ideas. (Let’s call it an electronic web). He also wrote about aircraft, tanks, space travel, and satellite television — all before they had been invented.

He was also a husband and a father, possibly even a grandfather. However, with all due respect, Mr. Wells seems to have been more of a philanderer than a philanthropist. While some of his actions set women back, he predicted the sexual revolution and, perhaps, even inspired it. Again, I haven’t read all of his books — or indulged in all of the movies, radio plays, and comic book adaptations — but I appreciate the worlds that he built and how they make us think about the world we are building.

“Sometimes, you have to step outside of the person you’ve been and remember the person you were meant to be. The person you want to be. The person you are.”

— H. G. Wells

My third bouquet of gratitude flowers goes to Leonard Cohen, also born on September 21^st (in 1934). An award winning musician and poet, Mr. Cohen’s songs are psalms, sacred songs, for the human heart. A Companion of the Order of Canada (CC) and a Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec (GOQ), he started out as an author of poetry and prose, who even had some of his drawings published with his written words. Despite the fact that his professional music career didn’t start until he was in his early thirties, he created fifteen studio albums in nearly fifty years and wrote songs that would become chartbusters for himself as well as for singers like Jeff Buckley, Rufus Wainwright (who is the father of Mr. Cohen’s granddaughter), and Jennifer Warnes. He also inspired bands likes Nirvana and U2, collaborated with Phillip Glass, and co-wrote (and/or had music featured) in several films, including the rock musical Night Magic (which he co-wrote with composer Lewis Furey).

Mr. Cohen was a father, who collaborated with his son (on an album) and his daughter (on a musical video and on one of his world tours). While he studied (and practiced) Zen Buddhism as an adult — and was even ordained as a Rinzai Zen Buddhist monk — Leonard Cohen was born into an Orthodox Jewish family with a rich religious heritage. He observed the Sabbath “even while on tour and [performing] for Israeli troops during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war” and never seemed to shy away from political and social commentary, in his music or in his life. In fact, some of his efforts to support peace efforts and reconciliation in the Middle East were met with discussions of boycotts and, ultimately, withdrawal of some supporting organizations. Despite those discussions of boycotts, however, his 2009 performance in Tel Aviv, Israel (which occurred towards the end of the High Holidays that year) sold out within 24 hours.

Leonard Cohen had style and grace that was evident in his dress and his demeanor, as well as in the way he performed. For instance, there is a powerful moment in the recording of a live performance of “Anthem” (a moment possibly captured by his daughter Lorca) when Mr. Cohen introduces his band to the audience. This is something that is pretty typical for most Class A musicians when they are on tour, but the way it happens at this performance in London epitomizes what it means to give someone their flowers while they are still living. Watching the footage is also like watching a mutual appreciation society in action. The gratitude is a living breathing thing being exchanged between all the people on the stage.

“Act the way you’d like to be and soon you’ll be the way you act.”

— Leonard Cohen

NOTE: In addition to being the birthday of the people highlighted (above and below), September 21^st is also the International Day of Peace. Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1981, it was unanimously designated as a period of non-violence and cease-fire in 2001.

The 2025 theme is “Act Now for a Peaceful World”.

Born today in 1986, Lindsey Stirling is the only person on my birthday list of whom Walter Breuning might not have known — for the same reason I don’t mention her much during the practice and placed her music on the before/after portion of the playlist: She had just barely started making a name for herself when he was alive and when I first started teaching this theme. I do, however, incorporate her music in some of my other playlists.

A violinist, songwriter, dancer, and choreographer, Ms. Stirling combined all of her talents when she started her YouTube channel (in 2007) and when she competed on season five of America’s Got Talent (in 2010). Her repertoire includes classical music, pop, rock, hip-hop, and electronic dance music. She has collaborated with some of the same artists she covered when she was first started posting videos, including: Pentatonix, Amy Lee (from Evanescence), Lizzy Hale (from Halestorm); and John Legend. She has also collaborated with The Piano Guys, Sam Tsui, the Salt Lake Pops Orchestra, and Alex Boye.

Lindsey Stirling has an older and a younger sister. She was born in California; but, went to junior high and high school in Arizona, where she and some friends started a band and where she competed in scholarship pageants. Ms. Stirling attended Brigham Young University and wrote about her experiences being a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). While she drinks coffee and supports the LGBTQIA+ community (neither of which are necessarily in line with the LDS Church), she abstains from alcohol and prohibits it from being on her tour bus.

As a philanthropist, Ms. Stirling has worked with the non-profit Atlanta Music Project; joined Cirque du Soleil for the second annual One Night for One Drop benefit; and encouraged her fans to support Toys for Tots by bringing toy donations to her 2017 concerts. She also performed during Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western New York’s concert series (in 2018); started The Upside Fund (in 2020) to support people struggling during the COVID pandemic; and has performed and/or held auctions to support organizations that promote mental health awareness and to support UNICEF’s support efforts in Ukraine. She has also publicly spoken about her experiences overcoming an eating disorder.

“We did not ask for this room or this music. We were invited in. Therefore, because the dark surrounds us, let us turn our faces to the light. Let us endure hardship to be grateful for plenty. We have been given pain to be astounded by joy. We have been given life to deny death. We did not ask for this room or this music. But because we are here, let us dance.”

— a poem by Bridget Carpenter and Stephen King (b. 09/21/1947), featured in the miniseries 11.22.63

Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “09212022 More Songs for Today’s Adventure”]

¹While Maurice “Reese” White, one of the writers of the song “September”, once said that he picked today’s date because it of the way it sounded, his wife Marilyn said that it was the original due date of one of their sons. The way she described what she felt when she first heard the song just might be the way you feel when you start dancing to the song!

“Ba-dee-ya, say, do you remember?”

“Ba-dee-ya, dancing in September”

If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.

White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.

If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).

### Sing! Dance! Play! Enjoy your adventure & your flowers! ###