It Was The First Real Nice Spring Day

   I was returning from a quick trip to Bangor where I had just completed a brief shopping trip, getting ready for the upcoming seasonal changes. The temperature was a very pleasant 71 degrees and both front windows of the car were open, allowing some fresh air to replace some of the musty winter smells. Scout, resting on the back seat, was enjoying the wind across her face, her nose working hard to find those fresh new odors.

   I had set the speed limit control on the car for 70 mph but it was obvious by the number of cars that were passing me, that for many, they were in much more of a hurry to get to wherever they were going. But the speed limit is only supposed to be 70 mph. Oh well.

   As I often do, I had the radio turned on to one of my favorite stations, one that plays the older hits, the songs from my generation of growing up, where I might understand the words, the meaning, and the message. The song playing was by Paul Simon, entitled “Kodachrome,” a hit from a 1973 album. To my surprise, I remembered many of the words and began to sing along, but as I reflected upon the song’s meaning, it became obvious that over time I had forgotten the meaning or message he was attempting to share. I thought he was talking about a camera.  I was going to need to take a look back.

   After a few more hits by Peter Paul and Mary and of course some Bob Dylan, I pulled into the driveway, unloaded the car and went to the computer. My first task was to look at the lyrics

   “When I think back on all the crap I learned in high school, it’s a wonder I can think at all. And thought my lack of education hasn’t hurt me none, I can read the writing on the wall.”

   “Kodachrome give us those nice bright colors, gives us the greens of summers makes you think of all the sunny day, oh yeah, I got a Nikon camera, I love to take a photograph, so mama, don’t take my Kodachrome away.”

   So what was the message that Paul Simon was trying to share through the song?  I think he was trying to explore the ideas of memory, nostalgia and how we all often look at life through rose-colored glasses. If we remember, for many years, pictures taken by cameras were only in black and white. During the mid-1900s a company developed  ways to develop pictures with color, adding a whole new dimension to memory and the history we thought we remembered . With the addition of color, we had a new way of viewing and remembering the world.

   When the song was written in 1973, the world was entering a time of change and challenge and as he transitioned into adulthood, he wanted to make sure that his mom did not throw away his camera and the pictures he remembered from his early life as a child.

   Recently I have done a great amount of thinking about the past, especially as I sort through pictures, letters, and cards I have collected over time. As we get older, without those pictures to refresh memories, what we remember may only be a distortion of the actual past, regardless of whether we lived life during a time of black and white or with the addition of color. Throwing pictures away, taking books out of schools and libraries does not mean that something, an event, may never had occurred, and as a result, we will  never learn from our mistakes.

   A Nikon camera is something that many living in today’s world will never know or experience. Technology today has made sure of that. But Paul Simon’s concern he expressed many years ago about the accuracy of our remembering the past and its influence on our future is still critical in our changing world today.

   If you have never heard the song or it’s been a while since you read the lyrics, it might be worth getting in the car on a nice sunny day, roll down the windows ,  find a radio station and go for a ride back into history.

  

   

 

Too Little  and Maybe Too Late

    Walking up and down the aisles of the local grocery store can often be a learning experience. As I turned the corner and headed down the aisle in the pharmaceutical section, several folks had gathered as they looked over the display, trying to find the items they were looking for. Several appeared to be in the late 40s or early 50 year old range. Then I  heard it, the one comment that got my attention. “I wish someone had told me how hard it would be to grow old.” I paused for a moment, considering if I would respond or not, but opted to move on down the aisle and pick up the next item on my list. But the comment continued to haunt me for the next few minutes.

   By the time I got back to my car, I was punishing myself for not doing my job. And what was that job? That job is to share the best  learnings and lessons gained from growing older and passing them on to the next generations. But looking back as I sat in the front seat of my car, a car that for the most part could drive itself down the highway without my hands on the steering wheel, I thought about how the generation of baby boomers, of which I am part, had dropped the ball in passing on the lessons learned in life about growing older to the younger generation.  And what were some of those lessons we had learned?

   Maybe one of the best lessons could be to embrace change and adapt to new situations. Life today, and has for some time now, is constantly changing and we need to be flexible and open to new ideas and experiences. While we often feel safe and secure if we think about and remember past experiences and how we may have reacted or did not reacted to them, being able to face newer challenges and move forward is an important lesson to learn because the world is changing fast.

   Another lesson to learn is that of relationships and the importance of meaningful connections with others. Whether it be family members, folks at the office or the neighbor who lives next door. They can and sometimes will provide needed support or can enrich each of our daily lives.

   We are at a time in the developments around the world where health, both physical and mental, is taking on new and exciting learning opportunities. Many living in current societies will have the opportunity to live longer and healthier lives than those of previous generations. But they must learn to take care of themselves. Good health and well being does not come easy.  (My thought wanders back to the folks in the pharmacy aisle in the store.)

   One of the lessons that is vastly overlooked is acknowledging and appreciating the good things in our lives. Now sometimes that recognition is not something that we see right away and because of that delay we often forget to express our thanks or appreciation for something someone may have done for us. But gratitude and a gentle thank you now and then is always welcomed  and can be a key to building strong relations with others well as improving all of the aspects of one’s own personal life. Gratitude is something that can and needs to be shared and can add a lot of positives to a daily life, making you a more understanding and caring individual.

   There are all kinds of lessons and things we learn throughout life. But my thought here is not so much that we learn the lessons. The important piece is that what we learn needs to be passed on to future generations and right now I have some concern that we may have dropped the ball, so to speak.

   As boomers, our lifetime has been filled with many experiences that may have taught us many lessons about life and there will continue to be many  more. Our goal and the lessons we need to be teaching the new and younger generations, all with their own names for identification purposes is simple. How do we learn to cope with change because the world, its values and the ideas are rapidly changing and our current ability to embrace change and adapt to new situations has become a challenge. Hopefully, it is not to late and even though the boomer generation is becoming fewer in number each day, we still have a responsibility to teach what we have learned.

   Now as I buckle my seat and prepare to start the car, I cannot find my car  keys. But wait. All I need to do is put my foot on the brake pedal and push that little button on the dashboard and the engine starts. A classic case of embracing change? Maybe.