Saturday 9

 
Saturday 9: Annie's Song (1974)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) 50 years ago this month, we were all listening to John Denver rhapsodize about nature. He singles out walking in the rain as a particularly lovely experience. Do you enjoy walking in the rain? Not especially.

2) Denver wrote this song on a ski lift in Aspen. He clearly relished the ride, but ski lifts are problematic for those who suffer from acrophobia, or a fear of heights. Acrophobia plagues approximately 5% of Americans. Are you one of them? Nope.

3) John Denver recalled that this song just came to him as he looked down on the beauty of nature. Can you recall a time when something you saw in nature touched your heart? I fell in love with Hot Springs, AR. The water comes out of the ground at about 140º so there's always steam rising from it. Everything around the springs seems lush and green. The water is rich in minerals and it's a delight to visit one of the spas and bathe in it. I'd like to return some day.

 

4) Wildly successful here in The States, John Denver's popularity didn't extend to the United Kingdom. In fact, "Annie's Song" was his only major hit. But it was a big one. Denver's version reached #1 in 1974 and then in 1978 James Galway hit #1 on the UK charts with an instrumental version. Do you have a favorite instrumental recording? I love "Seasons of Love," the theme from Peyton Place. I'm sure it contributes to my enduring affection for the 1960s TV show and the film from the 1950s.

5) John Denver's first-ever guitar, a gift from his grandmother, was displayed at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix. Have you visited a museum yet this summer? If not, do you have plans to? My friend Elaine and I are talking about visiting the Georgia O'Keeffe exhibit at The Art Institute. It closes in mid-September, so we better just do it already.

6) In addition to the guitar, Denver also played the violin (or "the fiddle," as he called it). If a genie appeared to magically enable you to play the instrument of your choice, which would you choose? Piano. There's a scene in A Hard Day's Night where Paul McCartney sits down at a hotel piano and just starts playing. I always thought it would be so cool to be able to do that.

Let's look at the summer of 1974.

7) Elizabeth Berkeley was born. She's best known as Jesse on the Saturday morning teen sitcom, Saved by the Bell. What Saturday morning TV shows do you remember fondly? "He's the boss, he's a pip, he's the championship, he's the most tip top TOP CAT!" 

 

8) Hall of Fame pitcher and Cardinal great Dizzy Dean died. How is your baseball team doing this summer? Oh hell, I don't know. The Cubs aren't even playing .500 ball, and yet because our entire division kinda sucks, we aren't out of contention for the playoffs. Post-season baseball would be nice, but I'm not counting on it.

9) The biggest summer movie was The Longest Yard starring Burt Reynolds. What's your favorite Burt Reynolds movie? Smokey and the Bandit.

I went for John

My friend John died last April. He was 68. I am still heartbroken because I was nowhere near ready to say goodbye. 

Today I went to the chiropractor's office for a therapeutic massage. Monday I'll be back for an adjustment. Because of my spinal stenosis, my gait is "off" and it's causing strain on the muscles that run from the back of my left knee down to my ankle. It hurts like mad when I get up after sitting and stairs are difficult. But my chiropractor is going to make me better. I insist on it.

Which brings me back to John. He had so much wrong over the last five years or so. He had congestive heart failure and diabetes. He needed a cane to walk, he was short of breath, and suffered from anxiety. Yet he didn't even have a primary care physician. He behaved as though if a doctor didn't specifically tell him something was wrong, it wasn't wrong. 

Because I'm hurting, I'm struggling to understand why it happened. Why he had to leave me. The best I can come up with is that the way he lived and died should be a lesson to those of us who loved him.

I'm not going to let my world get smaller and smaller, as John's had. I'm not going to just accept that discomfort is part of growing older. I have Medicare and supplemental insurance and I'm using them to full advantage. 

John and I enjoyed so much together over our 43 years of friendship. Now I have to figure out how to go on without him. If I can help it, it won't be with a cane.

Photo by charlesdeluvio on Unsplash

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 9

My 2024 Happiness Icon

Today's happiness: "I really liked the berry!"

I always have "blessing bags" in my purse. Each zip-lock bag* includes $1, a lip balm, a tissue packet, a couple tiny hand sanitizer pouches, and a breakfast bar. Except for the buck, each of these items comes from the dollar store, so it's not a great investment on my part.

 

The folks I give the bags to often don't speak English, and others seem to have emotional problems, so we don't have much conversation beyond my "good luck" and their "thank you." Which is fine. I don't do it for praise. I'm inspired by that Bible quote: "As you did to the least of my brothers, you did to me." 

But that doesn't mean acknowledgement doesn't make me happy. Like today. I gave one of my regulars his bag as I went into Target. On the way out, he thanked me again and added, "I really liked the berry!" He'd noticed that I'd switched breakfast bar flavors and he'd snarfed his down already. 

One of my neighbors ate something nutritious today because of me and what's more, he enjoyed it. Something so small on my part made a difference to someone. I'm both humbled and very happy.

 

Happy August Happiness Challenge!

 

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

 *When you spend most of your life outdoors, the zip-lock bag is important in and of itself because you can use it to keep your belongings organized and dry.