Organ Recital

As mentioned earlier, my daughters and grandkids left the cottage and the new visitors arrived—my wife’s cousins, all in their 70’s. How different the conversations are! It started with the “organ recital” of each’s aches and pains and bodily diminishments and then continued to wills, trusts and cremation plans. Quite different from my conversations with Zadie and Malik!

 

But of course, only natural that the talk turns to the particular joys and challenges of our times of lives. From the teen’s talk about who has a crush on who to the 20’s discussions of the coming revolution (my experience back in the 60’s and 70’s) and landlords and getting jobs to the 30’s sharing of diaper services and mortgage rates. The 40's was sharing stories about the kid's schools and vacation spots, the 50's about visiting colleges and the empty nest, the 60's about grandkids and retirement. The 70's seems to be both the organ recitals and the joys of pickle ball and cornhole.   

 

Which is why it feels important to keep mixing with all ages. There is a comfort and familiarity hanging out with your peer group and making references to Leave It to Beaver, Metrecal, 8-track players and such and knowing you will be understood. But equally important to spend time with all ages, feel the fresh energy of the young with slight nostalgia to be in our young bodies again and gratitude that we’re in our elder’s minds mostly unconcerned about being in the cool group and comfortable with who we are. 

Besides still teaching children, the Orff workshops I teach tend to be teachers in their 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and it’s a healthy mix. 

 

When I was in 8^th grade, I gave an organ recital that actually was recorded on a LP record (remember those?). Now the organ recitals are different. That’s life.