While taking in the new Caveman New Sides EP, I was moved by the use of the atmosphere in the songs. It’s a stunning EP. But it quickly took me back to a memory that I’ll always associate Caveman with.
Seven years ago, a friend texted this video to me. I was laying in a hospital bed, fighting an infection. My kidneys were failing and I was wondering what the purpose of it all was. Would I survive to see my children grow up? I had so many unanswerable questions flooding my mind.
I opened the video on my phone with my earbuds in. It was a live recording of Caveman, filmed in 2011. Matthew Iwanusa began to gently sing:
“Great life to live.
Caveman – “Great Life” (Genius)
Great life to live.
It’s all you have to give.
It’s all you have to give.”
I broke down in tears. I knew my life was threatened by an aggressive kidney disease. In spite of not knowing the outcome, living a great life was all I could give.
How do we live a great life? Love. Genuinely caring for others. Being there for friends. Listening. Being generous. That’s all we have to give.
My brother would later give me the astonishing gift of his kidney. So much financial support came in because of the generosity of others that we were able to form the Flick Medical Emergency Fund to help people facing an unexpected medical crisis. Others around me lived a great life through their love and were so generous that I could strive to do the same.
As we all go through this crisis, we have the opportunity to be generous, to listen, to love. “Great life to live. It’s all you have to give.”