Whether it is our old Aunt Nellie or our dear Grandmother telling us about the “good old days” or Bruce Springsteen rocking about “glory days,” one thing is in common. As Bruce puts it, “Glory days, well, they’ll pass you by like the wink in a young girl’s eye.”
Of course, our book and many of our blogs have dealt with memories including sports highlights and family triumphs. All were duly celebrated and are fun to reminisce about. As Ricky Nelson sang in his “I Went to a Garden Party,” “if memories were all I sang, then I’d rather drive a truck.” Apparently, at his concert at Madison Square Garden, the crowd became restless as he foisted new material on an audience that wanted the “good ole days’” music. Ricky wrote that song as a protest to the rather cold welcome he received that evening in New York.
Is there a fine line between living in the past and living in the present and preparing for the future? Class reunions are great for many people seeing old teammates or old flings. Others prefer not to attend being put off by how older age reflects them with the bald heads and gray hairs and sagging body parts. I remember an acquaintance so eager to attend one of these fests stating, “High school was the best time of my life.” He was forty-six with a wife and two children.
Many people can’t wait for retirement… to do what? It seems that the rare retiree actually becomes busy with meaningful activity during his or her “golden” years. Several years ago, I read about a survey given to retired senior citizens. The question that caught my eye and haunts me even today was, “What do you regret about your life?” The creator of this survey was expecting the consensus response to be something these people had done. Perhaps something that they felt guilty about. NO WAY! Overwhelmingly, the answer was regret that they had not done more with their lives. Glory days had passed them by.
The high school yearbook was another wakeup call for me and others. Next to our names and senior pictures were the accomplishments achieved during our four years. I was shocked to see absolutely nothing next to a few names. Glory days had truly passed them by.
So, what’s the point of all this? We only have one life. Why not live it to the fullest? What is stopping you? I had a writing assignment in high school with the topic being to write your own eulogy. (No, not what do you want on your Tombstone Pizza.) I wish that I had kept a copy of that paper. I wonder if I have lived up to those dreams. Well, we still have time. Carpe Diem! (or is it carpe glory?)
PHOTO CREDIT: Thousands celebrate after the Detroit Tigers won the league pennant on the streets of downtown Detroit in 1968. Tony Spina, Detroit Free Press
