Glory Days.

 

“It's anywhere I'll ever go and everywhere I've been

Nothing takes my breath away

Like my front porch looking in.”

Growing up can be very difficult when you are not popular; it can also be very difficult when you are…in other words, growing up is not easy.

There’s an old Bruce Springsteen song, “Glory Days.” You likely know it, but to me it is probably one of the most important songs I think of when I look back on my life. In high school I didn’t have too many glory days. This is not a ploy for you to feel sorry for me, not at all…it allows me to look forward and know the best days may not have been back then, but I also realize that high school was a long time ago and I have had more good days since leaving.

Yesterday my wife and I did something we do quite often—-we went to an estate sale. I know we are in the middle of a pandemic, but this is something we really enjoy doing and of course we are practicing social distance and wear masks. We have just purchased a turntable and one of the sales we went to had albums for two dollars. The family had many albums I would never consider,  but they also had many that brought back memories. 

When I saw a copy of “Four Way Street” from Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young for sale, I knew I had to have it. When I was in junior high school (that’s what they called it back then) I won a copy of this album; I had never really heard of them but was told it was a popular album that the cool kids were listening to… I felt like I was suddenly in the cool group because I had it. I was wrong, no one cared. 

Which takes me back to Bruce’s “Glory Days;” if you have been to a class reunion, you may have realized people change. Some change a little and some, well….dramatically. I won’t get into specifics, but if you have seen the people who were cool back then, they may not be as cool as you remembered…on the flip side, those who were about as uncool as possible, they have done just fine. I understand.

The photo above was taken in Nashville last year. The music there is infectious and flows out of restaurants and bars attracting people like insects to a bright light; that night, there was a lone man with a cart on the outside—whereas it might be a little late for his “glory days” he seemed just fine enjoying the music that made him part of the crowd.

Thanks for stopping by.