Changing of the Guard.

 

 

"...The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves."  Black Elk

I am faced today with feeling "my age".  You know "feeling" 35 in the way that I used to "imagine" 35.  Usually, I'm pretty sure that I am still 25.  I think the introspection is because I have a birthday coming up. While I love having a day that I can claim is all about me, birthdays now also give me a slight sense of dread.

Aging is awesome because it brings the wisdom, clarity and confidence acquired ONLY by time.  Conversely, it is also a landscape filled with new, and often depressing discoveries. Hangovers last for days, people call you "ma'am", parts of your body crack.  I have even started saying and BELIEVING things I swore I never would. "You will understand when you are older", "Punishing you hurts me more than it hurts you" and the kicker "You need to care about (recycling/ poverty/ politics/ fossil fuels/ the Middle East) because as the next generation, you will have to find solutions to these problems." Man, that line used to piss me off. Why was it MY responsibility to clean up after someone else's mess?  Actually, it still kinda pisses me off. Don't worry kiddos I hold out hope for substantial contributions from my generation.  We are still fighting the good fight. However, the possibilities for my own future are no longer endless. I will not be the President of the United States, and I won't be curing any diseases.  Mostly because I don't want to be the President, and I am too lazy to devote my life to scientific research.  This is not a pity party, this is a just a commentary on my shifting reality. 

Yesterday, two icons from my childhood died. Neil Armstrong, and the voice of The Count from Sesame Street.  It made me think a lot about the importance of heroes and beloved characters in the shaping of the youth.  We learned invaluable lessons about discovery, curiosity and bravery in a world enamored with science.  We learned to have a passion for counting, and vampires.

I realize that children will still learn about Neil Armstrong, and Sesame Street is still on the air.  However, there is admittedly a difference between being able to experience a hero as a living person, and reading about some dead guy.  There is a difference between the voice and vision of an original, and someone who replaces a character. 

It is my fervent hope that the imagination and inspiration sparked by these now departed souls will find new life to lead our next generations into greatness. We sure do need them. 

The Reunion.

"We both are so excited 'cuz we're reunited, hey-hey"

The first few days without facebook were hard; I lost all the contact pictures on my phone, I couldn't play bejeweled blitz, I couldn't ruthlessly stalk anyone, and I lost all my words with friends games. Don't worry, as important as these things sound, it quickly became OK. 

Immediately, it became obvious how much facebook permeates society.  It is a treasure trove of conversation topics, "Oh did you see _______ on facebook?"  It is sometimes a live social activity.  There was more than one occasion where I was the only one of a group not checking facebook on my phone. Though there were times I felt sorta out of the loop, I also liked that I could fly under the radar.  No one knew where I was, or what I was doing.

While I was unable to keep in touch with some people, I found that I kept in BETTER touch with others. More texts and phone calls were exchanged than would have occurred otherwise. A huge shout out to my super awesome friends who kept me in the loop.
  
The first few days back were great. Cybercomradarie is a real, tangible thing. I appreciate the support that you can get from social media, but my need for it is much decreased.  Social media can be super pushy if you aren't careful.  After a day of constant beeps, I deactivated the alerts on my phone because I disagree with facebook that I need to know the SECOND someone posts something.  

Throughout my summer, I continued to collect pictures, and record things I would have posted.  I gained a new appreciation for considering what I put out there. My thoughts appear below, unedited for importance.

-Sometimes Kraft mac and cheese is delicious.

-Smoky air sucks.

-The Price is Right fixes everything.

-Google does the coolest stuff with their homepage.. Brilliant.

-The Railrunner is flipping awesome. Riding a train facing backwards is not.

-mmmmm. Rain.

-Someone should bottle "steak on a grill". cologne?  air freshener?

-Summer Solstice spent camping under a dark blanket of stars right next to the river. Yes please.

-While concerned about wearing my "you REALLY need to do laundry" clothing line. I remembered I was going to Wal Mart.

-mmmmmm. bacon.

-It is a nap until bedtime kinda day.

-Summer: when you put in a full workday drinking.

-Johnny Depp! Where ARE you?!?

-Apparently, being born in the months of September to November increase the likelihood of living to 100! hells ya!

-mmmmmm. bloody Mary's.

-When House of Pain says "jump around". You do it.

-Channeling Jersey Shore...Agenda for today: exercise, lay out at the pool, and do some laundry.

-No good whistle ever came from a van.

-OLYMPICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Ryan Lochte is my boyfriend.