Once Upon a Time……

 

   As a child, music and books became an important part of my life at a very early age. I remember having a toy piano in my bedroom that I would attempt to play, not knowing anything about musical notes or what each of the piano keys meant.

   As a youngster, I had a large collection of children’s story books. While I had many favorites, the ones that I really enjoyed had one thing in common. They all began with a familiar sentence, “Once upon a time.”

   As I grew older, I learned that most of the books and stories that began with “once upon a time” were called fairy tales and that fairy tales usually had a happy ending. Perhaps that was the reason I enjoyed them so much, because of the happy endings. But I was quick to learn that events in real life were not always fairy tales as I had come to believe and that sometime there were not always happy endings as we were taught in the stories. So, what were the real purposes or messages behind the fairy tales?

   As I grew older, the books and stories I came into contact with had many different meanings and lessons about life. What they offered were a variety of lessons and ways to be successful in an adult world and provide guidance and ways to become the person I wanted to become.

   As I look back, I often remember the many ‘once upon a times’ I have had throughout my journey to where I am today.  Once upon a time I decided to go to college to become a teacher. Another was to learn how to sail on the ocean. I remember the many music lessons I took to play a variety of musical instruments. (Don’t worry, they were not to learn to sing!) And can I say they all provided a happy ending? Maybe for the piano teacher when I decided to learn to play the clarinet.

   The world in which we live these days is very different to the one when those early books were written. I believe that the message attempting to be taught back then was one of learning from past mistakes and lessons in order to move forward. The message of “once upon a time” and learning from previous events, whether they be either success or failures has been replaced. But to be honest, I am not sure what has taken its place, only that is difficult for many to learn from the past.

   Once upon a time we would say ‘thank you’ or’ may I’. We would offer to help someone we saw struggling or we might volunteer in a local community group or activity. We would treat others with a degree of respect, even if we did not know them.

   Once upon a time I could walk down the street and not worry about what might happen along the way. Once upon a time I did not wonder about the type of society or the type of world my children and grandchildren would be part of. Once upon a time I waited anxiously to reach retirement age so that upon reaching that point I could remember the many “once upon a time” and share them with others.

   Irony is a funny thing sometimes and as I prepared to sit down and work on this week’s column I was listening to some music. And the song that was playing was “Teach Your Children Well, sung by Crosby Stills and Nash. And the year of its popularity…1968.

   My hope is that as future generations look back and think about their “once upon a time”, their memories will bring a smile to their face and a sense of personal satisfaction about the journey they have traveled.

  (I do not normally do this, but I would like to add a summary here. I am not sure that the idea of “once upon a time” exists in today’s world.)