Wednesday, August 19, 2009

You Really Can't Go Home Again


The night before last, I was listening to some really good music from out of my pre-adolescent past... Issac Hayes, David Porter, Curtis Mayfield, Temptations, Chairman of the Board, Freda Payne, and an assortment of others who are long forgotten now, except by people of a certain age bracket. The music brought back some fond memories.

The next day, I loaded up my CD player in the car with Stevie Wonder's 1972 breakout album "Music Of My mind", The Main Ingredient's "Afrodisiac", Black Ivory's "Don't Turn Around", and then, I took off for work. The difference is, I didn't go my usual route. I drove through a neighborhood... an old neighborhood that I used to live in, used to hang out in, and used to feel pretty good in.

I know that I am dating myself by saying this but, the music sounded so much better in my car than it ever did when I had a record player (not a turntable but a record player) because the record ticked, popped, and pinged as it played. This music was from a certain summer, which I'm not going to talk about on this post, that was particularly nice. I had my first real girlfriend, I learned how to swim, and I started growing that summer, if you know what I mean (and I figure if you're over 13 years old, you do).

I rolled my car window down and I could almost smell the faint odors of pizza, hot dogs, and marijuana that was just beginning to be experimented with by some of my more "advanced" friends. We were becoming teenagers and the whole world seemed new. The music was good and the times were good.

The wonder of selective amnesia... I peered around at this neighborhood and a lot of the homes which had been so well kept were now boarded up. This was a tree-lined block and even the trees were gone. A lot of the "characters" I knew are now dead or, at least, not living around there anymore. The girls are now women with children and some are like me, grandparents by now.

I liked taking the trip back down memory lane but, at the same time, I wouldn't trade all that I have learned and all that I have become to go back to that point in time again. It was just nice to remember it. You really can't go home again. You should only just drive by, look, smile, and keep going, as I did. So, I started my car, smiled, and pulled off towards the road that would lead me to my job.

21 comments:

Solomon said...

Hey Keith,

I like how you talk about some of your old friends as "characters". I can so relate to that.

Time were different back in the day weren't they. And I'm like you, I wouldn't trade what I've learned for anything I used to have.

Most of my old friends are either dead or have "relocated" also. It is amasing how many friends I had when I was younger, and now I don't talk to any of them anymore. I guess it does make sense though, most of the old friends were into some real nonsense back then and many of them just never grew up.

It's funny when you grow up and figure a few things out how little you will put up with that seemed like acceptable behavior at one time.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Later bro!

James Perkins said...

Good Post..I've done the same thing myself..Visited my old hood.

Sunflower said...

I love your introspective posts
Keith.

Jazzy said...

I haven't forgotten any of those groups and performers you named..That was good music..

Brenda said...

Nice post...It was smurfier than your last few, but they were all good posts and needed ones..don't think that they weren't.

Cheryl said...

Love your tastes in music Keith!-:)

Simon Bastion said...

I can so feel where you were coming from on this post.

Toni said...

My mother told me that the older you get , the smaller your circle of real friends becomes..I have found that to be so true..and I'm only 31.

Angie B. said...

Nice Post...That's something I oughta do..Load my playlist with some of my favorite old school jams and go crusin through my ex's neighborhood.....Nah, can't do that,he'd think I was stalking him...lolololol

Toni said...

@Angie B. - You would be stalking him...don't front-lolololol.- :)

TATE2 said...

Kool post and all and maybe I might get to that point..but right now ,I aint interested in lookin back..Too much ahead of me.

Sean said...

Good Stuff, Good Stuff!

Lisa said...

I liked this post...I so identified
with what you did.

Halo said...

Nice Post!

Vanessa said...

I guess I can kind of relate to this...I can definitely relate to the music...I love all of those people you were listening to..Especially Stevie!!

Grover Tha Playboy said...

Revisiting your old stomping grounds eh? Yeah, we all should do that every now and then.

Swaggie said...

Cool post brother!

Sean said...

Your title says it all, you really can't go back home..All you can do is take a look, smile and keep going just like you said. Good post!

Captain Jack said...

My past is probably too painful to revisit...I don't visit old schools,old neighborhoods, nothing..but I appreciate what you were trying to say in this post though.

Rich Fitzgerald said...

Like I always tell my wife...

Forward Motion Baby!

Mizrepresent said...

Nice post keith...i love reminiscing about old times, especially with some good music. Home is really where the heart is.




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