If you are in the Northeast part of Pennsylvania, you already know tonight is the perfect fall night. Maybe it is where you are too, should you be absent the Pennsylvania skies..
There are a tremendous amount of stars visible tonight. Maybe it’s the fresh cold air that got rid of the chemtrails and smog.. maybe it’s just that right time of year to be outside–or maybe it’s due to the fact that the street light in front of home base is down for the count, unlit for days , actually nights, now..
Nonetheless, I gazed a bit at the stars while I had the chance. The breeze that was blowing was the kind that sent a cool chill down your spine but reminded you of the cold shivers that are on the way.
There is just something about fall that makes your heart get both melancholy and vibrant all at the same time.
My wife commented to me tonight that the smell of fall is both awesome but depressing. She’s right.
The Bloomsburg fair is going on right now. It’s a happy time of year filled with memories. I recall fondly being a teenager at the fair.. even younger.. in my 20s.. and now 30s. And coming full circle, this year my wife and I brought the little man named Ayden to the fair. We are parents. And by God, we are keeping traditions alive and hoping to create new ones.
But that is what surrounds my mind tonight: That creeping feeling that traditions, for as much as one tries to fight for them to survive, don’t. Often a death in the family ends them all. Think about it.. Christmas dinner may be something of the past one grandmother passes away.. Or just like as occurred in Ashland, PA a few years ago, if a town chooses to cancel an ABA Labor Day parade, hundreds of families and thousands of people won’t have a party. Traditions can end in a heart beat.
I have a vivid memory of my childhood. It’s one of those ‘bits and pieces’ type of recalls.. one where you know your surroundings but weren’t sure what was going on. I remember walking towards the front door of my house in Centralia, PA, when I was probably about 4 or 5. It was around this time of year because I fondly recall the biting wind, a Frankenstein window dressing on the door, and laughter. It’s amazing and frightening how fast time blows on…
I was talking to a friend this evening who I didn’t see in much too long of time. He and I were quite shocked through the text messaged we exchanged when we realized it had been a DECADE since we saw each other, talked to each other, and shared a drink and memory. We have Facebook, of course. People live vicariously through that. Vigorously vicarious as a matter of fact. But I think I’m entering a stage in life when I want to abandon the virtual for the real again. I want to rid myself of the holiday Facebook cards and instead go to someone’s house, pay a visit, stay for a warm drink…
You know. Real stuff. Actual things. Not virtual.
We did that about ten years ago. Incidentally that is about the last time I saw a great friend. And where, really, did the past ten years get us? You answer that one.
