Diagnosed Mortal #5
On this day, I wax poetic regarding what turned out to be a salad days redux for me at 40 years old. Who doesn't have a sacred memory of a time in their lives when all of the impossibilities seemed almost palatable as probable? It is so delicious a sensation that even as it disappears it becomes indelible like a sanctified tattoo. A time so painfully beautiful one will drag it across the entire timeline of their life - right to the very end of it -calling it a birth mark. I'd venture to say everyone does. Mine came at a late age and I went on about it in this audio file.
Deathy tip: Try to make a note of asking an older person for a story from their lives. Father, mother, aunt uncle or grandparent... Perhaps a random elder quietly sitting in a comfy chair at the back of all the holiday festivities or at the "old reunion". ASK. If you are really prepared, you can record these stories. Trust me the recording will be valuable in time, you'll see. But the real gift will be your exchange in intentionally caring about someone else's story. Listening this way is sharing an intimate value with someone and an older person can appreciate this kind of attention like no other. Consider it, you might be surprised what you hear...
I picked this song and video because I make mention of this band and this time in my audio file here and the title of the song is in the title of the essay...but also, the video does a good job of capturing the thrill of these concerts at that time. I think I saw Pearl Jam three times and each time the band gave an even more thrilling and incredible performance than the time before! The 90's were a mighty good time for many people and I am very thankful I cycled back into my youth at that time to witness and enjoy it. So fortunate.
Pearl Jam (live) – Alive
~For the curious: this Blogpost explains my motivation and intention for this series of 20 essays in the Diagnosed Mortal series~