How sad is the loss of the twinkle
Of a boy's eye
At the sight of the extraordinaire
The brilliance of everyday
How sad is the loss of the innocence
Of a boy's smile
At the thought of adventure
The norm of being alive
How sad is the loss of the joy
Of a boy's dreams
At the notion of more
The future is today
How sad is the loss
Of a boy's inspiration
At the idea of far, far away
How sad is the loss... of everyday.
(c) Charles Graham 2011
I started watching Pan-Am... The opening scene was of a boy holding his mother's hand, staring out the window at a Jumbo Jet. It was 1963... it was new. It was fascinating. A pilot walks by and the awe on the boy's face... made me feel at a loss.
I felt the loss of anything being new again, like it was when all you wanted was the Lil Red Wagon... or a model of the Mercury rocket 'cause you saw it on TV. Or TV for that matter. I felt the loss of not taking these things for granted. They weren't always there, and now they seem to be the norm of everyday.
We've advance so far, so fast that new is the norm now. If something "new" isn't released every few months or so... we've become stagnant. Even in the reality that nothing really is "new" anymore... just redesigned. Minor tweaks, or new widgets.
I want new. I want someone to look up to... someone about whom I can say, "Wow! I wanna be him/her when I grow up!" Do kids really feel that anymore these days? Or am I just too old, and jaded? Oh, don't get me wrong... I get excited when there's "new" stuff released, just like any kid would, but it's not the same as... "I'm going to the moon one day!" excited.
I guess when I saw that... and saw the look in that boy's eye... I just wanted for this one moment to be that kid again, and believe that "Yes, I too can fly to the ends of the world and beyond."
How sad the loss...
You take my breath away.
ReplyDeleteTry gardening. There is nothing quite like seeing how a plant grows that you've never seen grow before, or watching a bulb begin to peek through the dirt in the spring. It's about as close as I can think of to that childhood innocence.
ReplyDeleteThat's wonderful and all that, but it doesn't do it for me. I'm talking about something on a much grander scale... the dreams of kids. The dream that as a kid you KNOW you can do anything, long before the reality of your own physical limitations make it known that some things are well beyond your reach.
ReplyDeleteI dreamed of the moon when I was a kid. I knew that's where I was going. I was absolutely going to be an astronaut! The utter awe and fascination of space, and the men who went there stood foremost in my mind as the monument to what we could achieve, and I wanted to be a part of that.
I still look up to those men and women as hero's... regardless of it having become somewhat of a "norm". And yet... I dream of something more. Is there a "next big thing"?
Ever considered going to school to be an engineer? There is a huge demand for aircraft engineers. We keep having to hire them from overseas. And there is an area of research going on into the supersonic aircraft field. Is that more of what you're looking for?
ReplyDeleteOk... and this was WAY rhetorical... less really about me, than the loss of this in our society as a whole. Some, I'm sure, can still find it... but it seems to me that there is less and less of the fascination... and more of the same ol'.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to be an engineer... I'm past that. I still love space and all that really cool stuff, but... naw. I'm not smart enough. (Nor that into school... ugh). A chef extraordinare... uh huh.
ReplyDeleteSo in the crystal ball we see Duckie serving up dishes from outer space? LOL
ReplyDeleteThat'd be very cool. :D
ReplyDeletethe other day when i was in the pool at night....they had loud music playing...and the song that came on on was...." i just called to say i love you ..."..........and this young boy groaned ..." oh that song is sooo cliched...."
ReplyDeleteand i remembered this time when arjun was posted far away and we did not have cell phones...he had to walk some distance to reach an std booth [ trunk dialing] wait his turn for me to call...since it was too expensive for him to call....and one day i tried and tried that number ...it kept coming engaged ...and when i finally managed to get thru....all i did was put on my music system and play this song for him...." i just called to say i love you..."
and i thought in my head----it was good....so good to live in times before the cliches had yet to become cliches....
today its impossible to revel in alice and say with a grin ..that i believe in six impossible things before breakfast....beautiful write duckie...
Yes, when new is everyday... the grand must be beyond that all, somehow. To really catch that little boy's eye... that glimmer of... admiration. Grand has to go beyond the everyday...
ReplyDeleteI understand what you mean Duckie, and I think our getting older has a lot to do with it. As children, we hadn't really any cares - no job to go to, no bills to pay - no responsibilities in short. So as a child you have all the time in the world to wonder at life, and what may happen, and what's coming next. As adults, we have way too much mundane crap going on 24/7 to even begin to sit back and wonder. It's sad, but I think that's what it is, anyway.
ReplyDelete"When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse, out of the corner of my eye.
I turned to look but it was gone, I cannot put my finger on it now,
The child has grown, the dream is gone..."
See? They put that well. It fits what you're feeling.
This poem is excellent. Once we lose the child inside, the newness is gone and the world turns stale.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog Duckie! I know how you feel.
ReplyDeletemaybe it's just that among all the gadgets and gidgets we forget that we still have the ability to look to something or someone and feel those things...perhaps we get lost in the world of being an adult and forget that we still -need- to feel the "awe and wonder" of something...
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely wonderful capture and vision Duckie. I've thought the same myself many times and you know what it boils down to for me?
ReplyDeleteSimplicity. Get back to simple things and there you will still find the joy. I found it in going back to the duck pond that I knew as a child. The other night when I was cleaning I found a picture of me when I was around 8 at the duck pond....I still get the same thrill of the ducks gathered 'round, waiting to be fed.
Take a blanket out in the middle of the night, stare at the stars and dream, those dreams of space are still there....they're just blided by all the electronics we have now. lol
I like stars. ;-)
ReplyDelete:D
ReplyDeleteYes a simpler time when anything was possible. Thanks.
ReplyDeletei find my grand in everyday...
ReplyDeleteYou will still see the things that are not everyday someday in the future. Right now life is too much. Bills are high and with every spare moment we find ourselves worrying about our children. Our children are the key to the new! Look through their eyes and see the wonder...and when you think it starts to fade...they will have children of their own and the wonder will be theirs and yours to share as you look through your own eyes at the wonder of your baby having a baby and making you the proudest grandfather in the world.
ReplyDeleteYes...we will always miss the wonders of the "future" because we are in our future! All things we were present for when they were "new" and advanced are things we now take for granted. But don't ever think that we have seen our last "new" thing! Your kids are so intelligent they are apt to be the ones that bring us our next new thing to stare in awe at!
Hugsssssssssssssss
*hughughug*
ReplyDeleteHahaha... it's not like I'm sad, or anything. Just sayin' that this little boy's reaction felt like something that's missing in CHILDREN today. Not me... I'm good. :D
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you're good, and I totally agree with you about kids losing that sense of wonder in the world.
ReplyDeleteYou're gonna be sad soon! I'm gonna thump ya for making fun of me all day! :P
ReplyDeleteI missed that show, but I understand the feeling you're talking about. It is so sad not to see that wonder in the eyes of children anymore......or to really be fair in most children and not that often.
ReplyDelete