Finding My Groove

“Lyrics have been the poetry of my life.” A former disc jockey who has “lived, worked, and played in every corner” of Vancouver Island, recounts in this absorbing memoir the livelihoods, lessons, and loves of several generations of working people in the resource-based industries of British Columbia, with in-depth and interesting descriptions of how jobs were and are performed and how communities come together and splinter. The author provides equally detailed accounts of his subsequent careers in broadcasting and business in Toronto, Vancouver, the Okanagan, and back on the Big Island.

This book resounds with themes of music. It’s about learning and growing through life experiences; taking chances and pursuing your dreams; family values and responsibility; respect and tolerance for others; finding out it’s okay to fail; and redemption and forgiveness.

With “album cuts” to introduce and highlight each chapter, Finding My Groove is a study in cultural differences between different industry sectors and ways of life, as well as different regions of Canada. This book brings to light themes that are common despite these differences—danger, tragedy, life and death, triumphs and disappointments, mental and physical health, lessons learned, lost dreams, love, and renewed commitment. It provides firsthand knowledge of logging, of broadcasting, of the comparison of big-city life to small-town experiences. It is a guide to finding satisfaction and contentment in life, and coming to peace with yourself.