Hurts So Good

Today I rediscovered the "joy" of exercise! A group of WCHS "soccer moms" are working out with the coach's wife who is a personal trainer. She had us meet at the lower end of Hoover Dam. We spent an hour walking up hills, doing lunges, and going up and down the steps on the side of the dam! Damn, it hurt (pun intended) but damn it also felt so good to use my body and move! At first I thought I was going to die but as time went on the endorphins kicked in and I actually felt really good! When I got to the top of the dam after climbing all those steps, I felt like Rocky!

6330 Buckingham Dr. , Allen Park MI - 1969

For me, I find magic in revisiting the past -reconnecting. Last week I was in Detroit for work. On the way home I drove through Allen Park where we lived in the late 60s for about 4 years. Our old neighbors that were good friends of our family still live there in the same house where they raised 5 children. I dropped in on them and they remembered me and were glad to see me! They are in their 70s now and have several great-grandchildren!

Since I was no older than 5 when I lived there, most of my memories are just vague snapshots in my mind. But I saw a lot of the things I remembered - the place where our swingset was, the bookcase under the stairs in the neighbor's house, the place where their in-ground trampoline used to be that I loved to play on, the railroad tracks behind the house, the old Farmer Jack grocery store, Telegraph Rd., . . . I was surprised at how much I remembered. Our old house was so small. It didn't seem like it at the time!

Back in the car on the way to Columbus, a DJ on the radio was talking about a song Gonzo sang in the Muppet Movie . . ."I'm Going to Go Back There Someday." It seemed a coincidence to hear this when I did - just leaving a place where I lived so long ago. The first line is, "This looks familiar, vaguely familiar, Almost unreal, yet, it's too soon to feel yet."

Another line in the Muppet song that doesn't have anything to do with this subject really caught my attention. The line is, "There's not a word yet for old friends who've just met." Have you ever met someone for the first time but felt like you've known them forever? I have and it's one of the most magical things I have ever experienced. But that's another topic . . .

Doo Dah, Doo Dah, Blah

Fourth of July week - here is how is was supposed to be - three days off, both kids gone, Dwight and I going on a trip somewhere. Here's how it was - three days off, a bad cold, slept most of two of the days, no trip, a brief outing to the Doo Dah parade (in the rain) and then home and back to the couch. Blah! Kind of disappointing. But, the magic is, I guess, that sometimes your body takes over and says, "You have been working too much you need to rest." At first I felt like I wasted SO much time sleeping and laying on the couch when there were SO many things to do. But, maybe there is some magic in just slowing down and doing nothing.

Music - The Great Time Machine

If you want some instant magic - do this. Think of a year that you want to go back to. Go to iTunes and type in that year in the Search field. You will probably see a collection of songs from that year. Then, sit back and relive the year in 30 second snippets. I just took a tour of the early 1980s - back to high school and first years of college. It's amazing how music can take you right back to moments you had buried deep in your mind.

• Summer concerts at Blossom - Pat Benatar, Loverboy, Michael Stanley Band . . .
• Dancing to "Rock Lobster" and "What I Like About You"
• Feeling "alternative" - Adam Ant, Yaz, Oingo Boingo, The Clash, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Modern English,
• Nursing a broken heart - Total Eclipe of the Heart, Waiting for a Girl Like You, Open Arms
• Crushes - Rick Springfield - Jessie's Girl
• Cruisin around Medina in Shelly or Jana's car rocking to "The Cars," AC/DC (Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap!), My Sharona
• Depression Songs
• Freshman year of college - Rock the Casbah, Beat It, Billy Jean (or anything by white-gloved Michael Jackson), anything by the Police - Synchronicity . . .
• Going to see Footloose with Amy and Mary and playing the songs over and over and over again
• Anything from 1984 reminds me of Spain - Wham!- Wake Me Up Before You Go Go, Careless Whisper, Carribean Queen, I Just Called to Say I Love You . . .

It's amazing the happy and not-so-happy memories just 30 seconds of music can evoke. It seems like every sense of the moment comes flooding back. Music is the ultimate time machine! Where do you want to go?

Different Sports for Different Folks

I can't believe June is over. The summer is passing me by, it seems. I haven't been paying too much attention to anything but work. I need to get refocused on looking for the good and the magic every day. I can tell the difference when I don't.

Probably the most "magical" thing I've experienced lately was over the weekend when I saw three sporting events I have never seen before. One was fencing. Luanne's son was attending a fencing camp at OSU. I'd never seen a fencing match(?) before. It's strange watching something that you have no clue about the strategy or how it is scored. But, it was very interesting -- and interesting to know that a lot of kids are interested in this ancient sport. While looking for the place where the fencing camp was being held, I went into the wrong building and came upon the Special Olympics girls gymnastics competition. I had never seen a Special Olympics event. I was amazed at the determination and sheer joy exhibited by the girls as they competed in front of hundreds of people. It was also moving to see the pride on the faces of their families. Then, leaving the OSU campus I drove past a competitive tree climbing competition! I didn't know there was such a sport! Even though I'm not fond of heights I love climbing trees! I used to spend my days climbing the many fruit trees in my yard in Copley and sit for hours high up in the boughs eating apples and cherries! Seeing that competition brought back some great tree climbing memories!

Thanks, Delilah!

This was a really long week. I think worked 60+ hours to get this project done -- and that's just this week. The last few have been pretty similar. I'm pretty close to being done -- finally! My shoulder hurts so bad I can hardly type this but I wanted to get it down! I got in the car tonight after another 12 hour day. I flipped through stations and found a song I liked. When the DJ came on it was Delilah. She said, "Happy Friday! What did you accomplish this week? Did you finish a big project? Did you make it through to the other side? If so, brag a little. Pat yourself on the back. Good job!" Wow! How did she know? Thanks, Delilah! I needed that!

Summer Breeze

I experienced magic today before I even got out of bed! OK - not THAT - get your mind out of the gutter! What I'm talking about ranks right up there in the simple pleasures of life - right behind falling asleep to the sound of rain on the roof. I'm talking about waking up with the windows wide open and a cool breeze blowing through the window. It's warm enough to have the windows open but cool enough to need a bunch of covers - not that hot, sweaty feeling that summer is usually about. It's for this simple pleasure that I would never want a first floor master bedroom because I would hate to not be able to sleep with the windows wide open on a summer night with a cool summer breeze.