The Neil Young album, “Rust Never Sleeps” was released in 1979. The name of that album never left me and years later, as I worked with a non-profit organization called zMAD (Zedbridge Make a Difference), a leadership academy for at-risk kids, “rust never sleeps” started percolating. Too, I had a classic VW bus that I was restoring at the time that was in the body shop for close to nine months and again and again my main body man, Lavant would ask… With the depth of this rust it looks like we need to cut it out and weld in new metal, Steve… On this one, we could fix the dent and with just surface rust we could get by with bondo, primer and paint… What do you want to do?
From there the concept of rust never sleeping came back and I started developing a slide presentation for our zMAD kids with photos and questions that I posed to them after giving them a scientific explanation of rust:
“Without using names,” I would ask, “what kinds of rust do you have in your life or in the lives of others that you know that needs to be cut-out completely, because as you know, rust never sleeps…”
“Certain friends, because we always get into trouble when we are together…” “Drugs”, “Sex”, “Social media” “Pornography”… they easily and transparently would continue far beyond anything I thought they might ever share…
We’d then turn the next corner and I’d ask, “What kinds of habits, attitudes or lifestyle choices do you see in your own life or in the life of another where dents and surface rust might be removed, bondoed, sanded, primed and painted?
“My negative attitude, I keep putting myself down, and I know that doesn’t help” “Supporting my friend with a text or a phone call to bring them up in a tough time” “Asking for forgiveness or bringing myself to forgive another that I have wronged…”
And in my Christian faith and because I am a recovering alcoholic of 32 years I have presented “Rust Never Sleeps” to the wonderful folks of the Good News Rescue Mission here in Redding.
I read my poem, “Flesh Bucket” and immediately following there is a very audible sigh… “Would anyone like to share, briefly where does that take you?” Many remain silent, some respond with wonderfully, powerful testimonies and then I eventually continue… “Here in the back of my MGB-GT I took the woman of my dreams, Julie (that I have been married to for well over thirty years…), cross country skiing for our first big outing. At the same time I was falling head-over-heels-over-her I wrote, ‘Flesh Bucket’. One year into our marriage and with Julie’s steadfast love and God’s love, grace and mercies anew I quit drinking and still to this day, one day at a time, like you, I move forward in wonderful sobriety.”
To my family, friends and readers I may know or never may know – “Welcome!” May your rear view mirror of shame and guilt be made smaller with each passing post and the grace and love of God make the windshield of our lives expand, panoramic, as far as the east is from the west!
Sincerely,
Steven
Rust Never Sleeps 