NOTE: To those offended by the timing of this post, I apologize. I in no way am trying to disrespect the solemnity of this day in history.
CELEBRATION
If I danced to this song once, I've danced a thousand times. It's impossible for me to hear even three notes of this song without being instantly transported to the 1980s.
I've been in a 1980s state of mind since August 25th, when I learned of my friend's death. And I've been processing, processing, and more processing. And I came up with something this week that I didn't know was there. I liked high school a lot more than I thought I did.
Turns out? I had good friends. I had good teachers. I was "successful." And I had more than my share of celebrating good times.
So why the ambiguity?
Two people in high school were jerks. Two. 2% of my class, less than 1% of the student body, yet I've allowed 98% of my memories to stay attached to them. Cut, cut, no more.
And life at home wasn't the best - but now that I've met a million people and read a million memoirs, I realize it wasn't the worst, either. Not by a long shot. Just felt like that at the time. But that time was 30 years ago. Cut, cut, no more.
Today I keep moving from attachment to old and outdated memories, to more accurate, fair shakes of recollection.
Today I revisit the past with 45-year-old eyes, and let the myopia of a teenager's view fall away.
And today I celebrate.
CELEBRATION: Kool & The Gang
Yahoo! This is your celebration
Yahoo! This is your celebration
Celebrate good times, come on! (Let's celebrate)
Celebrate good times, come on! (Let's celebrate)
There's a party goin' on right here
A celebration to last throughout the years
So bring your good times, and your laughter too
We gonna celebrate your party with you
Come on now
Celebration
Let's all celebrate and have a good time
Celebration
We gonna celebrate and have a good time
It's time to come together
It's up to you, what's your pleasure
Everyone around the world
Come on!
Yahoo! It's a celebration
Yahoo!
Celebrate good times, come on!
It's a celebration
Celebrate good times, come on!
Let's celebrate
We're gonna have a good time tonight
Let's celebrate, it's all right
We're gonna have a good time tonight
Let's celebrate, it's all right
Baby...
We're gonna have a good time tonight (Ce-le-bra-tion)
Let's celebrate, it's all right
We're gonna have a good time tonight (Ce-le-bra-tion)
Let's celebrate, it's all right
Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Celebrate good times, come on! (Let's celebrate)
Celebrate good times, come on!
It's a celebration!
Celebrate good times, come on! (Let's celebrate)
Come on and celebrate, good times, tonight (Celebrate good times, come on!)
'Cause everything's gonna be all right
Let's celebrate (Celebrate good times, come on)
(Let's celebrate)...
14 comments:
From what I can gather high school out here is a very different deal from how it is in the UK.
There again, sometimes I wonder how different?
Cheers
Good for you. Edit & cut those memories just like you would extra words from your manuscript. *snip*!
Awesome discoveries, C. Awesome.
I read recently that the (left) brain's job is to sort and compartmentalize and keep us in duality, rather than the now. The past is usually full of negative memories and emotions, (we learn the most from challenges), and the future is hopeful. The brain tends to take what happened previously, and like a computer, find old stored memories and feelings and project them onto the future, which is why we tend to repeat patterns over and over because we actually recreate them through our own projection and categorization system.
When you "cut, cut," (or in this case, reframe your experience), you are actually recreating your life...past, present and future, since they are all inter-related.
What a gift your friend left you. Amazing discovery.
Carrie,
Back in the day, I would have traded my Marist experience for yours in a heartbeat. Had I just known what the future would hold(personal happiness and substanial professional success), it might have made things more tolerable. As it was, I found the high school years to be a miserable little blip on an otherwise fantastic journey through life. For me, life truly began after high school.
Oh, I so remember that song, too! We played it all the time!
I like how you think and how you re-think, too.
Looking at things with new eyes is liberating!
You go, Girl!
Love to you.
Carrie,
I am glad you are remembering the good times and good people that made up those HS years. Love that song too. One of my favorite lines from 1981 is from the song by Styx, "Our memories of yesterday will last a lifetime. We'll take the best, forget the rest and one day we'll find those were the best of times......"
Sending love...peace during this walk down memory lane, due to sad circumstances.
XXXX
I guess that's why they say hind sight's 20-20 hey????
Work it Carrie!
Isn't 45 great? It seems liberating.
ONE of my FAVE songs. We should roller skate to it!!
xoLo
I love that song! It's such a great one. I heard something on a Debbie Ford audio-book that was relaly similar to what you write about the h.s. memoryt. She said something like we create these memories and "stories" about the way things were and another person could have taken a totally different memory from the same situation. And we can create alternative ways to interpret a seemingly negative event (like high school - ha!) :) Anyway I'm not doing justice to the profundity that is Debbie Ford, she is awesome, and I wish i could remember better!! Have you ever read her books?
B"Today I revisit the past with 45-year-old eyes, and let the myopia of a teenager's view fall away."
That is something worth celebrating!
Oh my gosh, this song! I worked in catering a lot while in school, and this song is ALWAYS a must have at EVERY party. lol!
It is funny how we see things after time passes...And we can see what serves us no more. What we can let go.
((hug))
You go girlfriend. What an awesome thing to find.
I'm sorry you had to lose a close friend to realize the better parts of high school.
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