As many of you know, I’m a huge fan of the musician Eric Bibb. He is one of the great performers living today. He is a Grammy-nominated blues musician who despite his accomplishments may still be one of the best-kept secrets in music.
Eric’s guitar work and lyrics are incredible; however it’s something about his calm demeanor and uplifting spirit that makes him so successful connecting with audiences. Some of his best-known songs include “I Heard the Angels Singing” and “Shingle by Shingle.”
I had an opportunity to interview Eric over lunch in Japantown in San Francisco not too long ago. [Later than night some friends and I saw Eric and Ruthie Foster play together at Yoshi’s and it was unreal.]
I knew before we met that he was a person with a inspiring and positive approach to life; you can tell just by the way he carries himself that behind the scenes he’s got some perspectives and practices that contribute to his quality of life.
My favorite part of our conversation was when Eric talked about gratitude:
“For me quality of life comes down to whether I am feeling peaceful, unanxious and grateful for the gift of life. Gratitude is the key to happiness I think. The ability to think, to be creative, to have senses that function, to be able to walk, to have freedom of movement. Those are tremendous blessings and sources of joy. Having enough to eat, having shelter, having companionship, having loving people around you; that’s paradise. Clean water, nutritious food, health, mobility; that’s paradise. I don’t think it’s so much a question of being happy or unhappy because each is part of the flow of life.”
Here are some of the other interesting perspectives and practices Eric shared that you might find interesting:
Perspective: Realizing our connectedness with others
Relationships: Those that want to trip you up
Perspective: Discovering your own path
If you haven’t seen Eric Bibb perform, trust me it’s a great show…