Three Tries & The Truth: Issue #2
Dirt roads, never giving up, and the magic of re-framing time
Jody here, and welcome back to Three Tries & The Truth—a monthly roundup where we celebrate what’s working, laugh at what’s not, and expand the circle of life-long learning and country music.
“I am not afraid of making mistakes, but I am afraid of not making anything at all.” -Georgia O’Keefe
Three Tries
A Hit 🎯 – A success, breakthrough, or exciting step forward I made
A Miss ❤️🩹 – A failure, funny misstep, or lesson I learned.
A Matters 🎶 – A spotlight on country music (rising artist, industry shift, etc.)
and.. The Truth
A Hit 🎯
I have zero interest in singing in public, but for now it’s the only way I have to hone my new craft and share what I’m working on. This video of my new song “Dirt Road” took um, ~20 tries (okay, maybe more) to sing without a major mistake 😅 I’ve since revised the lyrics to tighten the song and flow based on some great feedback I received and can’t wait to try to record it again and submit it for evaluation with the NSAI one of the many amazing benefits they offer their members. It’s a note of appreciation for the friendships that shaped us and the roads we didn’t take. You can watch the video and learn more about the song here.
A Miss ❤️🩹
I’ve been learning to fingerpick the guitar since August 2024 and it is perhaps, the most humbling thing I’ve ever learned to do. My extraordinarily patient and kind guitar teacher Paul Sachs encourages me every week to improve my skills with Elizabeth Cotten’s Freight Train before moving to the next song. Yesterday April 3, 2025 I finally did it, seven months after starting. I finally played it well enough to move on and I’m so freaking proud of myself for my determination to not give up. Here’s a compilation of videos I took in September - It might be the most painful 2 minutes and 22 seconds on the internet.
I look forward to laughing at these years from now.
A Matters 🎶
Harlan Howard is the man credited with describing country music as “three chords and the truth.” A few week ago, Jason Isbell, a songwriter’s songwriter released his new album Foxes in the Snow. This album overflows with raw, unfiltered truths and I have had it on repeat for weeks during my morning runs. Read here for my full breakdown of why I think this album will win multiple Grammys and why I believe he is a “Wounded Healer Acting with Meaning & Maturity”.
and…
The Truth: Time Isn’t My Enemy Anymore
My business partner Kristin shared an insight with me that shook me: “Your number one enemy might be… time?”
I sat with this for weeks. And then I decided I want to write 100 songs in 2025.
It led me to write about what’s changed since I started choosing time instead of chasing it. This piece is part confession, part permission slip - for anyone who’s trying to make space for joy, for learning, for creative flow… especially for those living very full lives. Read “Do you have 28 hours in a Day?” and see a snapshot of my actual Google calendar.
I’d love to hear your thoughts—
What’s your relationship with time right now? If you could write yourself a permission slip for something that lights you up, what would it say?
Let me know in the comments. I read every one. ❤️
Looking Ahead
I’ve written my own song filled with uncomfortable truths about love in a marriage 21 years and counting. I look forward to sharing it with you next month - just as soon as I learn how to play it.
Also: "Can’t wait for next month’s newsletter? I post new hits, misses, and things that matter every week—drop by anytime!"
By my tally, this is two "hits" and one "matters". Listening to your progress on Freight Train over the past several months has been a masterclass in patience, determination, and self-compassion. As someone who also likes to try hard things, it's been inspiring to watch you work through this day by day, note by note. Confusion and frustration are the "sweat" of learning. It's hard to recognize that in the moment, just like it's hard to recognize the trembling muscles and burning lungs during a workout are the price we pay for strength. And then one day we find that strength (or that chord) just when we need it and it all makes sense. I love watching (and hearing) you learn.