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Guest Vacation Blog

by Adam Zack — May 17, 2023

Think of that person…let them know how they influenced you and your decisions.

Hello, Scott here, Adam’s oldest friend (he is actually older than me by 268 days to be exact but who’s counting). We have known each other for 54ish years, so I’m stepping in for him as he is off on a much needed, relaxing vacation.

I figure I would talk about how someone, anyone, could instantly change the direction of your life and maybe you could think back to that person, friend, family member or moment you realized that the path you chose goes back to that decision you made years ago. It reminds me of a story I once read about one of Adam’s favorite musicians and how one meeting changed his life direction.

It was a summer morning in 1961, and an 11-year-old Tom Petty sat on a stump in his front yard, wondering how he was going to spend his day. By the end of the afternoon, he knew how he would spend his life. To be sure, the events of that afternoon added another notch to rock ‘n’ roll history and a tantalizing addition to Florida lore. For, by the end of the day, the young Petty would encounter none other than Elvis Presley, the swivel-hipped sensation who had already been crowned ‘The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’. And by that evening, the Gainesville youngster would be forever fascinated – and hooked – on rock ‘n’ roll. “I caught the fever that day, and I never got rid of it”, Petty later said in Paul Zollo’s 2005 book, ‘Conversations With Tom Petty’. “That’s what kicked off my love of music. And I’d never thought much about rock ‘n’ roll until that moment”. Sadie Darnell, Tom’s cousin who accompanied him to see Elvis that day, told The Gainesville Sun that the meeting between the King and Gainesville’s future rock ‘n’ roll son was a “life-altering moment” for young Tom. “He was completely, completely enthralled”, said Darnell, who today is sheriff of Alachua County. “And Tommy told us as a family that he was going to be a rock star”.

I think we all have that moment where we can look back and see those people and seconds of time that changed our lives. One of my persons is Adam, and I’m thankful for that relationship and who he is to me as well as many others whom I’ve met in your industry.

Look back on your life, think of that person or group of people that changed your life and reach out to them, let them know how they influenced you and your decisions.

Have a great day and I hope to write to you soon.

Source: The Gainesville Sun – Bill Dean