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Aaron McHugh| 3 minute read

Reach for the stuff that’s real

A craftsman cobbler just resoled my fly fishing wading boots, and they’re ready for another “one hundred thousand casts.” The landfill was calling for them.

Our modern world has an insatiable appetite for new—version 6.0. Version 13.0, and it’s killing us and the planet we call home. This isn’t a post just about saving the world. It’s about the deeper drivers-what and who we value and how our hearts and souls are connected.

Allow me to share a cowboy tune from Guy Clark with you, and then we’ll reconvene.

I got an old blue shirt and it suits me just fine.
I like the way it feels, so I wear it all the time
I got an old guitar, won’t ever stay in tune
I like the way it sounds in a dark and empty room
I got an old pair of boots, and they fit just right
Well I can work all day, and I can dance all night
I got an old used car, and it runs just like a top
I get the feelin’ it ain’t ever gonna stop
Stuff that works, stuff that holds up
The kind of stuff you don’t hang on the wall
Stuff that’s real, stuff you feel
The kind of stuff you reach for when you fall
I got a pretty good friend who’s seen me at my worst
He can’t tell if I’m a blessing or a curse
But he always shows up when chips are down
That’s the kind of stuff I like to be around
Stuff that works, stuff that holds up
The kind of stuff you don’t hang on the wall
Stuff that’s real, stuff you feel
The kind of stuff you reach for when you fall
I got a woman I love, she’s crazy, paints like God
She’s got a playground sense of justice, she won’t take odds
I got a tattoo with her name right through my soul
I think everything she touches turns to gold
Stuff that works, stuff that holds up
The kind of stuff you don’t hang on the wall
Stuff that’s real, stuff you feel
The kind of stuff you reach for when you fall

Perhaps, the boots we have, the old car, the pretty good friend, and the partner we love are the stuff that’s real, stuff we feel. The kind of stuff you reach for when you fall.

Stay with the stuff that’s real. Resist the upgrade.

Keep going-

Aaron

“I can work all day and dance all night”
“I got an old used car, and it runs just like a top
I get the feelin’ it ain’t ever gonna stop”
“I got a pretty good friend who’s seen me at my worst
He can’t tell if I’m a blessing or a curse
But he always shows up when chips are down
That’s the kind of stuff I like to be around”
“I got a woman I love, she’s crazy, paints like God
She’s got a playground sense of justice, she won’t take odds
I got a tattoo with her name right through my soul
I think everything she touches turns to gold”
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About the Author Aaron McHugh

Aaron McHugh is an executive transformation coach, enterprise agility consultant, writer, podcaster, adventurer, and author of Fire Your Boss: Discover Work You Love Without Quitting Your Job.

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