Song Lyric Sunday – Beautiful

The prompt from Jim:

Our theme this week is Alluring, Beautiful, Charming, Graceful, Seductive

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So many popular songs immediately came to mind when I looked at this prompt. None of the  spoke to me. I walked away for a day and just happened to stumble on this song which really resonated with me.

”Back When We Were Beautiful” was written by American singer songwriter Matraca Berg. The song is about aging and the tug-of-war between the person we are inside and the physical face the public sees. I think we all feel young inside but age has a way of betraying us.

I did not find much written about this song other than the inspiration was taken from conversations with her grandmother and mother-in-law where both stated how they still felt young inside even though they were aging. (Source ChickenSoup.com)

It was difficult to find out when the song was written, but Matraca Berg recorded it in 1997, 1999 and again in 2008. The song was also recorded by Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell in 2013.

I love the enunciation of the lyrics performed by Matraca Berg, but I love the feel of Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell’s version. I am listing both videos here for you to enjoy.

“Back When We Were Beautiful”
Lyrics from songmeanings.com

I guess you had to be there
She said you had to be
She handed me a yellowed photograph
And then said, see?

This was my greatest love
My one and only love
And this is me
Back when we were beautiful
See

I don’t feel very different
She said I know it’s strange
I guess I’ve gotten used to
These little aches and pains

But I still love to dance
You know we used to dance
But night away
Back when we were beautiful
Beautiful, yes

I hated when they said
I’m aging gracefully
I fight it every day
I guess they never see
I don’t like this at all
What’s happening to me?

But I really love my grand kids
She said they’re sweet to hold
They would have loved their grandpa
Those awful jokes he told

You know sometimes for a laugh
The two of us would act
Like we were old
Back when we were beautiful
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful yes

But I guess you had to be there

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Song Lyric Sunday is hosted every Sunday by Jim Adams. If you would like to join in the fun, check out his blog for the rules and to take in all the other music posted by other blogers.

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First Line Friday

First Line Fridays is hosted by Dylan Hughes at Mindlovesmisery’s Menagerie. He gives the first line and we do the rest.

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August approached in a golden sweltering haze. Carrie spent every August at this old rundown beach house her father left her and every year seemed hotter than the last. This year was no exception.

She unlocked the door to find the pile of realty brochures she had come to anticipate. This little slice of beach just off the point skyrocketed in value in the ten years since her father succumbed to a sudden heart attack. The wave of emotions washed over her allowing grief to rise into her consciousness. This had become a familiar but painful ritual every time she came to this damned place.

She was thankful she remembered to have the power turned on in advance of her arrival. Last year she had forgotten and weathered a fairly severe storm in the dark her first night back.

She walked to the other side of the room and slowly pulled on the sadly discolored drapery cords. There it was. The long stretch of boardwalk, flanked by seagrass neatly maintained by Mother Nature herself. At the end of the boardwalk she could see the waves rolling gently onto the beach signaling low tide. She could feel her heartbeat slow to the rhythm of the sea. This was the only reason she kept this place.

Carrie was fortunate. The houses that flanked the cottage had been kept in their respective families which kept the developers at a healthy distance. Thankfully local ordinances minimized overdevelopment. She never engaged the investors for fear their offers might tempt her to sell.

She slipped on her flip-flops and stepped onto the deck. It was worn and the boards warped from the sun and the sea but her dad always said those boards gave the place character. As she stepped onto the boardwalk she stopped and breathed in the salty air. It was easier to breathe here and somehow the heat was more tolerable.

Sitting in the wet sand, she watched sand fleas bury themselves at her feet. This was where she spent every August as far back as she could remember. The ocean, the sand, and the salty air were embedded in her DNA. She closed her eyes tightly to force down any thoughts of a future when she would not spend her August reconnecting with this place.

A high pitched giggle caused her to look up. She saw the little brown-haired girl, stick in hand, writing in the wet sand, a man bent over her shoulder.

“Look, Daddy. I wrote I love you. Now run before the water gets us!”

She watched as the two ran back down the beach filling the air with laughter. A lifetime ago that had been Carrie and her father running and laughing on this same stretch of sand. She couldn’t help but wonder if that little brown-haired girl would someday return here to wait out the sweltering August heat and remember.

An Unexpected Friendship – #WATWB

Welcome back to the monthly bloghop – We Are The World Blogfest. It is a time to share snippets of good news happening around the world in an effort to diminish the impact of negative news.

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WATWB is co-hosted this month by Sylvia McGrath and Belinda Witzenhausen

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Building bridges and establishing relationships has been difficult this last year as we all experienced isolation due to the pandemic. It has been particularly hard on young children and the elderly, both of which can be very vulnerable members of our society.

Two-year old Benjamin Olsen found a new best friend in his slightly older next door neighbor, Mary O’Neill. Mary will be 100 in December. It is that age difference that makes this friendship so unexpected and so endearing.

You can read more of this delightful story here. We could all use a new friend, I think.

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Want to read more good news or join in the effort to contribute to the spreading of good news throughout the world? Use the hashtag #WATWB on your good news post and share it in our Facebook community here or on Twitter at @WATWB so others can read your post.

McCartney 3, 2, 1

I was a little young when the Beatles craze hit America. I remember their music at that time, butI was not a teenager screaming in adoration. Through the years, however, I came to love the majority of their music (I do not profess to love it all) as did most everyone else.

The new pseudo-documentary, “McCartney 3,2,1” popped up in my Hulu feed and I was  curious. So much has been written and said about the Beatles, what else could there possibly be?

This six-part series (each episode about 30 minutes in length) surprised me. I loved hearing the back stories and I loved hearing the individual tracks isolated as the mechanics of certain songs were explored.

If you enjoy Beatles music and the process of songwriting, you might really enjoy this series. It was released in the U.S. on Hulu, and I understand it will be streaming on Disney+ in the UK August 25.

Mother May I — No You May Not

Photo Courtesy of Pixabay

Do you remember that game? The whole idea is taking gradual steps toward a goal, until you cross the finish line. This has been my life this past week. One step forward, two steps back.

The physical therapy has really helped my vertigo and for that I am thankful. I have been doing my exercises and walking (which is very good for the vestibular system) and taking steps toward reprogramming my fight or flight responses.

Life, however, can be a real jokester. Saturday I began to notice a scratchy throat. By Monday morning, I had a cough, sore throat and low grade fever. I decided it was prudent to go through the CDC symptom checker on the off chance I should be tested. After all, I had a birthday party to attend in Florida.

I fully expected since I was vaccinated and always masked up, it would say I did not need a test. Boy was I wrong. After a telemedicine visit with my doctor, I was given a test time for the afternoon. 48 hours later, I received the good news my test was negative. Thank the good Lord.

Now, you would think I was all clear to move forward planning my trip, wouldn’t you? Unfortunately, I was advised to continue to isolate until my symptoms were gone for two reasons. There is a chance I tested too early and my symptoms could worsen indicating the need for another test. Also, as long as I was sick, my immune system would be compromised and make me more vulnerable to the virus. This meant I could not receive my much needed physical therapy appointment before I took a road trip.

Tears ensued. I spoke with my daughter. None of them want to get sick, nor do they want me to take risks (Florida is again a bright red enter of Covid transmission). The additional physical therapy appointment was also important to keep my vertigo at bay – that was now on hold. We would be staying home.

This morning I am feeling much better. My cough has subsided a lot. No fever and my sore throat has morphed into a very gravelly voice. I feel like this was just a cold, but as everyone is telling me, the Delta variant presents like a cold.

I will never knowingly put anyone at risk which unfortunately is not the case for many Americans. There are so many putting themselves and the population not eligible for vaccinations at risk. That angers me. Our state alone has 837,000 doses of the vaccine set the expire in the next two months – all ordered to meet the number of citizens that would need the vaccine. But vaccine resistance now has us shipping those back to the government for redistribution.

We were so close.

“Better safe than sorry” seems to be the mantra of the times. Too bad everyone isn’t singing the same tune.