THE APPENDICES
CHAPTER 9
The Road Goes Ever On
CHAPTER 9 - EXCERPTS
After completing The Settlers’ massive procedural score, I had nothing left to say musically (see chapter 21 of “Making It HUGE In Video Games”). The well had gone utterly dry – parched and dusty, even splinteringly and irreparably dry. What else could I do but retire from composing? I hung up my baton and shelved whatever manuscript paper remained. Likely for the rest of my days.
Yes, I retired. But I did not die.
In retirement, my attention has been drawn towards a vast horizon of new and varied interests. Indeed, my once fertile imagination has been newly captivated, my spirit renewed. Today fascinates me, and who knows what tomorrow will bring…
- - - - -
I cannot recommend exploratory travel highly enough.
Traversing the planet will seduce you, enrich you, and educate you. It will humble and subdue you. It will elevate and thrill you. Unexpected adventures spring up around every corner while traveling.
I feel more alive when I travel. I sense a growing appreciation for nature and humanity. Vestiges of prejudicial judgment and pigeonholing are melting away. Embraced to the fullest, traveling the world can alter your life in ways that few other activities can. Maybe no other activity.
As J.R.R. Tolkien famously wrote: “The road goes ever on and on. And I must follow if I can……"
- - - - -
Also Available:
"An empowering career guidebook wrapped around a personal retrospective. A professional how-to manual woven into a memoir."