Have you ever had a day where you’re just flooded with memories?
Let’s see if I can explain: I was driving one day this week when I went by the old house we used to live in on South Main Street in Acushnet. It’s a little different now: same color but the landscaping is different.
What caught my eye was the driveway. When I saw it my mind flashed back, wow, 50 years! If I was on TV there would have been a “flash!” Some kind of special effects and then a dramatic music stager!
Flash! Bam! Boom!
It’s a dark night in the fall or winter and my brother is practicing street hockey in the driveway. Little brother, me, is the goalie. I’m cold; tired; and I want to go in. Big brother says, “Five more minutes.” It was always “five more minutes” that felt like twenty. Probably was more like thirty. My brother took his street hockey seriously. I had all kinds of homemade pads and the day I got some steel-toed boots from the Salvation Army ….. well let’s just say my toes were most appreciative.
Later that day I drove by the First Congregational Church at Lunds Corner where my family used to go. I grew up in that church, sang in the choir and, probably most importantly, I met my wife there. I thought of how I would just like to walk in there some day…just to look around and see how that feels.
Here come the memories!
It seems like I’m doing this more and more. Is this what happens when you get old? I hit 60 so now you just, “Open up the floodgates! Here come the memories!” I’ve told myself not to get stuck in the past. I don’t want to be “that guy” at Honey Dew who gets his coffee and a muffin and starts every sentence with “Back in my day!”
Have I mentioned my show?
I try to stay up on current trends and enjoy today’s shows, sports and (some of) the music. Recently I told my son Matt that I’ve always liked having a younger cohost or intern on the show. (We were discussing this on The Pete Braley Show, live weekday mornings at 8 a.m. and available any other time of the day on YouTube.) Now, where was I? Oh, I told Matt I felt like it kept me young and gave me a good insight into what was happening in their world and I think it kept me from being stuck back in the old days.
I think a lot of us have a tendency to glorify the past. Yes there were some great memories and maybe you thought the music was better but I think there are so many cool things in the present.
The present is kind of cool too.
I’m able to FaceTime every night with my grandson who is 575 miles away. I have an encyclopedia, camera, recorder and so many other devices on my phone in my pocket. And I’m sure my brother would be able to make some awesome goalie pads for his little brother out of the stuff we have around our houses now. He’d probably still want five more minute though. I bet that wouldn’t change.
So I have a question for my friends in the “60” and the “60+ Club”: Is this normal? You go by your old stomping grounds and you get transported to your past, at least in your thoughts? I have to admit, it brought a smile to my face even though it was a memory of the little brother being cold, hungry and tired.
Five more minutes?
Looking back though…….“Just five more minutes!” What I wouldn’t give for five more minutes….or twenty…..or thirty.
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