Moments

The other day I experienced a senior moment and a "duh" moment only minutes apart. I was approaching a flight of steps at work, and normally I take them in stride, but this time I suddenly realized I was taking short, little half steps as I approached the stairs, as if I had to be extra cautious or I might fall. It was like, Oh my God, I've aged 10 years since yesterday!!

Then, a bit later I was trying to come up with something seasonal to post on here and I couldn't think of anything really related to Christmas and school, and then it hit me... we weren't in school at Christmas. Well duh! Now we did "pick names" in grade school and swap gifts just before Christmas break, but I can't think of a solitary thing during high school that relates to Christmas.

Can you?

Reminiscing

Christmas is for reminiscing, and believe me, I do my share.

In the spring of 1972, just prior to getting married, the USAF sent me to a mandatory 2 day seminar. They also strongly suggested that your fiance be there too if it was possible but it wasn't possible for mine so I sat and listened to all the rights, privileges and responsibilities that awaited young married folks in the military and dutifully kept the many brochures and pamphlets to share with her later. Several of the topics were supposedly to gauge how compatible the two of us were, you know, like when one falls backward and trust your partner to catch you, and things like that. Anyway, everyone had their fiance with them except for one lady, and God only knows why, but they paired us up to go through the "compatibility tests". So, she would catch me and I would catch her. We joked at the end of the seminar that maybe we were more compatible with each other than with whoever we were going to marry and maybe we should hook up. We didn't of course and we both went our separate ways. But there have been times that I've thought of her, and the way she filled one of the odd little spaces in my life. Honestly, I don't even remember her name, and I know I will never see her again, but I'd like to. I hope that she and her husband have had a long happy life together. Marriages should be that way.

Now, flash forward to 1978 and a friend named Fred. He was without a doubt one of the most intelligent people I have ever met and was generous to a fault. It didn't matter who needed what, if Fred had it, it was theirs. He was also fragile in a way and eventually had to leave the military behind and move back to the North Carolina mountains. I'll probably never see him again either, but for almost 2 years he was the best friend I had.

One last stop. Monterey, California in 1981, and a friend named Robin who was there when things went a little sour for me and put up with my almost constant babbling about this or that. He listened without complaint or comment and let me convince myself to keep on keeping on. I will never see him again either, although I've been scouring the internet for any sign I can find of him or Fred. Nothing yet but I'll keep looking.

The point to all this is I hate misplacing friends or acquaintances and I want to leave that to the absolute minimum. That includes high school friends too. There are too many already gone, who I will never see again, and I don't want to add anyone else to that list. Please be there next summer for the 40th. All of you.

The Passing of an Icon

I was saddened to hear of the passing of Miss Mize the other day. According to my copy of Webster, "a cultural icon can be (among other things) a name or person that is readily recognized, and generally represents an object or concept with great cultural significance to a wide cultural group. "

I don't know how wide that group has to be in order to qualify, but to the group that went to Loudon High School for the many years Miss Mize was there, she definitely helped define a portion of their high school experience and in my mind qualifies as an icon.

She and I had our differences. She was there to teach me whether I was there to learn or not, and she never altered course. I had to admit at the end of the school year I had developed more than a little respect for her.

She was a very nice lady and holds a well deserved spot in my high school memories.

Letters to Santa

I heard a little girl say something the other day about writing a letter to Santa and I immediately thought of the letters the little ones used to write to Santa and the Herald would publish them. Do they still do that? Probably not, but I hope they do. If I remember right I think I also got a copy of the Herald after I joined the Air Force that had the letters in it. They were printed with red ink and they came from most of the grade schools in the county.

I remember reading them as a teenager. Everybody in the family passed those pages around, trying to find letters from little ones we might know, or simply just to read them. It was one of the things that put me in the spirit because some would ask for the usual popular toy but there was always one or two that would tug at your heart strings when they asked for something for someone else who might be sick or might not be getting much for Christmas. It's funny how sometimes the heart of a child can capture the meaning of Christmas and express it so much better than a grown up can. Maybe that's what believing in Santa Claus does --- it makes you more caring.

I know a lot of adults who could use a shot of that.

Kick Starting a Memory

I stopped in Loudon for a few hours over the holidays. We were coming back from South Carolina after spending Thanksgiving with our oldest son and daughter and their families. It was a hoot and I loved every minute of it. Anyway, my sister gave me this picture from when we were kids. The funny thing is she is my younger sister and she's not even in the picture, but she had a copy and I didn't.

Anyway, what struck me after seeing it was the other memories it brought flooding back, from that old barn behind us, to the house we lived in across the street and the neighbors we had and played with, all from that one picture.

Then a few days ago Donna posted wedding pictures of her and Rick on Facebook (pssst.. it's their anniversary) and the first thing that jumped out at me was, "Hey, that's how I remember them!" There was one picture of Donna, Pat Milsaps, Nelda Scott Queener and Donna's sister Elizabeth, and wow, I knew every one of them.

Also not too long ago Brenda posted some pictures on Facebook of her and Bruce through the years and it was fun watching the age progression, but it was also fun to realize that you went through the same changes.

Both sets of pictures looked so familiar and made me smile since it made other memories came rushing back. I actually felt happy looking at them.

So, if I may, I would like everyone to go dig out an old picture. It doesn't have to be of our time in high school, but just from back in your past somewhere and look at it --- really look at it --- and let the memories come fill your mind.

Oh, and let me know how it turns out.

A Look Back - December 1969

Dec 1 -- The first draft lottery since 1942 was held. I felt it's painful touch a few months later.
Dec 15 -- Nixon announces the third round of Vietnam troop withdrawals. (Just between you and me... how did this jive with the Dec. 1st entry??)
Dec 19 -- U.S. calls for cubes on trade with China.
Dec 20 -- Egyptian president Nasser names Anwar Sedat vice president.
Dec 21 -- Montreal: U.S. draft evaders gather for a holiday dinner.
Dec 22 -- Belfast: Bernadette Devlin sentenced to 6 months in jail for her part in the August riots.
Dec 31 -- Congo-Brazzaville declares itself a people's republic.

1969 Literature -- "Portnoy's Compaint" by Philip Roth, "The French Lieutenant's Woman" by John Fowles, "The Godfather" by Mario Puzo, and "Slaughterhouse Five", by Kurt Vonnegut.

1969 Music -- Musicals 1776 and Hair, "Crimson and Clover" by Tommy James and the Shondells, "Everyday People", by Sly and the Family Stone, "Leaving on a Jet Plane", by Peter, Paul and Mary, and "Come Together" by the Beatles.

1969 Movies -- "Easy Rider" with Dennis Hopper, "Bullitt" with Steve McQueen, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" with Paul Newman and Robert Redford, "They Shoot Horses Don't They" with Jane Fonda and "Midnight Cowboy" with Dustin Hoffman and John Voight