At the corner of tradition and memories.

“But you went away,

How dare you?

I miss you.

They say I'll be okay,

But I'm not going to ever get over you.”

If you have ever read the book “The Giving Tree,” then you know how an inanimate object can take on a very significant meaning in your life. It doesn’t have to be a tree, it can be song, a place or anything in between that brings a memory from the back of your mind to the forefront.

For some reason, and I have to believe it’s because I feel so much more alive this time of year, but summer really brings out a different person in me. I feel the moments that made me who I am today come rushing forth---and for some crazy reason they arrive much faster than they do when we are in the dead of winter. Perhaps my brain is too cold, however based upon the heat wave we are experiencing, it should be just as challenged.

Today I watched a video on YouTube that was created by a 12 year-old-boy and 32 year-old-man; they were having a very detailed conversation. The interesting thing, they were one and the same person separated by 20 years. When this man was younger, he videotaped himself, all with the knowledge that one day he would do it once again after he had “grown up.” Whereas it was very creative, and extremely well thought out, the turning point was when he was asked by his younger self if “he was still drawing?” The pain on his face let us all know he was not---he had let one of the most important aspects of his life take a back seat.

It made me think about how we have so many important details in our life that we put aside and often forget to pick back up. Whether it’s a long-lost friend who you have not spoken to in years, a hobby that used to consume your life, or even that lost love that was constantly on your mind, new distractions pull you away, and the memories are often lost until something reminds you of what you have been missing.

There is little doubt this time of the year brings back big-time memories for me; when I was growing up in St. Louis, with summer vacations, spending time with friends, and having no idea what the future would entail---I witnessed life through glasses with a much different strength than I wear today. Now, many decades later, I think about the times I experienced and how they have been etched upon who I am today. I am very fortunate.

This past week something changed; I spent the 4^th of July without my family---it has been decades since this has happened. Everything is fine, they are just out of town visiting family and I am left with the house, the pooch and the heat. (They had worse heat; they were in Mississippi and now Texas visiting family.)

I was not sure what I was going to do on my favorite holiday. Should I go to the local parade and fireworks show as I have for all of these years? I was pulled in the direction of “Yes and No.” Finally I decided to let “Yes” win. However, I did break the tradition of not going to the exact spot where I normally would sit for both activities. What a bold move on my part!

This year I sat at a corner near the cross streets where I live to watch the annual parade pass by. There was a spot just waiting for me along with my trusty Nikon as I walked up just as the parade was scheduled to begin. Next to me were a man and his dog. We struck up a conversation. I learned that on this very spot that I was “invading”---was where he and his family spent 4^th of July watching the parade for decades. I didn’t know if I was invading or allowed to be there? I sat down and travelled back in time with him.

The photo above is of Dave Wentz  (No relation to Pete Wentz) and his dog Sunny. I assume I spelled the dog's name right as Sunny is a she. We talked for some time, he knew many of the local politicians in town, and I was permitted to live the memories he experienced long before I lived in the community. He and his family have since moved, but it was obvious he needed to once again spend time at the corner of “tradition and memories.”

Thanks for stopping by.