*First off, before we get into this particular song, just know that I’m writing this one as a longtime fan of Brett’s, so it may sound more fanboy-ish than the typical posts I write. My wife and I even used a Brett Dennen song in our wedding back in 2009.*

Brett Dennen’s new video, Already Gone, is probably not only my video of the day, but my video of 2018 so far. This video made me smile more than any other music video that I can recall. Already Gone tells the story of 80 year old Vera, a woman who got caught up in the normal responsibilities of adulthood, and never made time for herself to pursue her passions. Vera’s story is a story like millions of people’s around the world. Vera focused on pleasing everyone around her, and forgot to take care of the things she wanted to do.

Cue Brett Dennen, the unassuming 38 year old superhero of Vera’s dreams. He not only takes over Vera’s household obligations, but sends her out to knock off as many bucket list items as possible. Vera proceeds to do things like learning how to surf, presses the “big red button”, streaks across the beach, and completes a tandem skydive, all while Brett scrubs toilets and vacuums her home. This story has two parts to it, and I want to get into both of them for a second.

Part 1: Do whatever it takes to take care of yourself, and pursue what makes you happy. You have absolutely no idea what moment will be your last, and too many aren’t fortunate enough to live to 80 and have an opportunity like Vera had. Brett ends the video with that same sentiment, with the words, “Go do something you want to do before you run out of time to do it,” taking up the top half of the screen while Vera sits on the beach in a bathtub full of sprinkles eating a huge banana split. No, seriously. She does. It is probably my favorite scene from the whole video because it’s the perfect mix of a feel-good story and whimsy.

Part 2: Be the person who helps others achieve their goals. Vera spent her whole life helping others get to their destination while she’s still sitting in neutral personally. Brett, and the whole production team, saw an issue with that, and did something about it. You don’t have to set someone up with the bucket list vacation of a lifetime, but there are a ton of people around you that you can help. Give your time, efforts, and network to others, and help them fulfill their goals. You may not have money to spare, but you may know someone who can help, can contribute a skillset, or do something as monotonous as vacuum their home so they can have time to work on their passions. Now, and important piece of this equation is that you have to be apart of a community that also encourages you to pursue your passions. If you’re solely giving your time, efforts, etc, then you can find yourself in a similar situation as Vera. Find your tribe. I know the word “tribe” is an overused cliche word, but it’s overused because it’s good.

Another stellar song from Brett, and an even better video. Can’t wait to see what’s in the pipeline next. Also, if you’re curious about which song we used in our wedding, click here.

-Seth