Reading time: about 7 minutes (not including links, photos and your own side trips)
I’m feelin’ groovy…
After my AM centering prayer meditation, I sent the email about the pun competition. My endorphins were already flowing from the laughter the puns created. Next stop was my eye doc. He’s a cool, pony-tailed dude and I can always count on him to engage in some deep conversation. After we chewed the fat for a while, I left and headed north on Plandome Road for some more fat and my favorite bagel dealer (Manhasset Bagel) and a cinnamon raisin bagel with walnut raisin cream cheese.
Due to my current dietary restrictions: dairy-free, gluten-free, sugar-free - this is a very-occasional treat. I was simply practicing “moderation in everything, including moderation.” If I don’t, I will soon become a casualty of imbalance. A deacon I know says it this way, “I pass balance...on the way to either extreme.”
BTW – The bagels are so big, the store should have a warning sign, like the one I saw once in one of NYC’s Jewish delis famous for their overstuffed sandwiches:
“Bend knees before lifting”
--a poster in the bagel store. My bagel was soitenly delicious. The messages are all around us Since it was such a beautiful summer day, I decided to take my bagel for a walk. Plandome Manor is a quiet section on the north shore of Long Island with lots of English Tudor-style houses. As I meditated on mouthfuls of delight, I was entertained by the songs of mockingbirds and cardinals. This is one reason I don’t listen to my phone while walking. I want to be present to the beauty that’s all around me. I also want opportunities to meet people and pay attention to the messages that are also all around me. The first message that caught my eye was this “716” magnet. The buffalo reminded me that “716” is Buffalo’s area code and I remembered Dave and the techs at the Avis shop in this city. I also thought of my brother-in-law and his wife who met when they were in school there. So, I figured I’d text the photo to them and say, “Hi!”
Walking further I engaged with a mailman saying, “Cool, you get paid to walk on this beautiful day.” He laughed and reminded me that he also has to walk on the other kinds of days. As we parted, I came across this laid back dude, just chillin’ in the warm sun. I felt just like he looked. I was feelin’ groovy.
Driving back to my home, I got this message:
Later, I got behind Harry Potter’s vehicle with stickers that said: “Hogwarts Alumni” and “Gryffindor.” You can’t see it, but there was another sticker that read: “My other car is a broom."
The Red Mustang – a veritable mixed message board
As I was returning home from my earlier adventures, I drove past this red Mustang that’s on my neighborhood walking route. I drove past and then turned around and took some current photos of the ever-changing messages displayed on the back of this car.
Considering the variety of messages, I was wondering if this Mustang had multiple drivers or just one driver with multiple personalities. My question got answered when I struck up a conversation with a neighbor across the street - a guy with tattoos, big muscles and a Harley to match them. He told me the bright red car was owned by a retired lady who drove a school bus and wanted something fun to drive. Wonder if her name is Sally? Wonder how many MPD’s she gets? That’s not a typo, it stands for Multiple Personality Disorders. I’ll let the photos tell the rest of the tale…then you can decide.
--I might call her a “Wild Woman of the Word.”
After all, the Teacher mostly hung out with outcasts.
Groovin’ with some old friends
After checking in at home, I went out to meet with two of the old friends I had recently re-connected with. As I was going into the Malverne Diner, I snapped this message:
After lunch, we went next door to see “Echo in the Canyon.” WOW! I was quickly reminded how music can evoke so many memories. The coolest part was that the three of us had actually lived through this period – AND SURVIVED! Some didn’t. A previous pastor, who’s about my age used to quip about this as he said,
“If you can remember the 60’s, you weren’t there.”
This musical adventure will be a history lesson for the younger generations. Jakob Dylan, son of you-know-who, was our guide as he told a tale of the Laurel Canyon environment that became the gathering place for so many great musicians.
GO SEE IT!
Laurel Canyon was also a short part of my first California experience. Me and two other guys had just driven 69 hours in my VW Bus from New York on our first surfin’ safari. It was the summer of ’69. We were supposed to meet up with another friend who had arrived earlier. He was staying with some people he met that lived in Laurel Canyon. I still remember the morning we caught up with Chickie. I pulled my Bus behind his and waited for signs of life, as he had been partying all night. Finally, he emerged from his slumber and groggily greeted us. Our summer of love was about to begin. Where’s the closest beach?
Feelin’ Groovy
OK, so here are two songs that kinda capture how I was feeling all day.
“Feelin’ Groovy” from Simon & Garfunkel’s “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Time” --guess which famous band covered this song?
---> The Four Seasonings
Same song on the Smothers Brothers Show
Now, check out this updated version. Pessimists and naysayers gave it 5 Prozacs.
PS - after watching this, my son quipped, “That’s Dr. Strangelove humor.”
Here’s a related article I found about an interview with Albert Einstein after the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan. I found it interesting that Einstein indicates that he liked the music of Brahms.
“Brahms not bombs.”
“Echo in the Canyon” featured several shots of the famous Rickenbacker guitars. After the movie, I thought of the American fighter pilot Eddie Rickenbacker. Maybe, one day, when more of the world wakes up and realizes our common humanity, “They’ll (be able to) turn their swords into shovels, their spears into hoes. No more will nation fight nation; they won’t play war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4)
Check out this video about a Mexican artist who’s bringing the Isaiah prophecy to life as he fashions weapons into musical instruments.
You might call them “Weapons of Mass Delight.”
-this Playing for Change cover of the Bob Marley classic features his son Stephen
With rising consciousness and projects like these, one day we’ll be able to “Give peace a chance.”
When this age dawns this…
…can be replaced by this…
Imagine that!
Peace,
tOM
Comments