Wallowing In It

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Mellencamp's Jack and Diane has a line in it that everyone has sung to some degree - Oh Yeah, life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone.

Great song, good lyric - my favorite part about Jack and Diane though is the follow-up song Eden is Burning where Diane and Jack get a divorce - brilliant that he changed the names around.

Anyhow, this isn't a Mellencamp discussion. Yet I used to feel sorry for the narrator singing that line - Oh, yeah, life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone.

It clashes with my suck it up and tough it out lyric from another Mellencamp song, but over the last few days, I've been sort of wallowing in it - sore back, out in the cold, dead tired, lousy sleep, too much to do, going through the motions, more phone calls, a publishing deadline, friggen Santa Claus is coming to town, Damon hasn't signed yet, Bruce is on a break, tired, aggravated, life goes on long after the thrill of living is gone...

And in years past, I've enjoyed wallowing in it - I've even flourished during such times, but I'm sick of it this year.

I just read a survey that said New York is the unhappiest state in the union - perhaps I'm not alone. Yet I normally wallow for just a little while.

In fact, I came in off the road where I was free to wallow alone - and the dogs greeted me with wagging tails, jumps to the mid-section, and kisses that would have gone on forever if I didn't stop them, and the kids were happy, and the wife was glad to see me.

So, it's tough to wallow too long around here. Are you happy? Do you ever get stuck in the mud too long?

Suck it up and tough it out and do the best you can.

It's a better lyric.

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