THOSE WERE THE DAYS

     Today I received a notice that a person important in my life during my years of high school had passed away. She was one of the main secretaries of the school and we all know who runs the schools! Become a principal and you will see that truth first hand.
     I often volunteered in the office (good way to get late notes and other unfriendly notes out of one's file- remember, no computers back in the old days. All sweat equity in those days.
     I began to reminisce about those days and years and never would I have predicted what has come about, not for the world and not for me. Married young, Gerry and I basically became adults together and most of the time it was fun. There were times...…
Seriously though, think of the earnestness with which we voiced our thoughts, our hopes, our plans. We were going to change the world, weren't we and in some ways we did. We started an anti war movement. We brought riveting change to the political and musical world. We surprised our parents - and ourselves, when we realized that the old guy or gal looking back at us is now no longer the hotheaded optimist who had all the answers.
     And yet, were those times great or what? It was a world which had hope, even as we lived in a Cold War world. We had dreams, even as we were caught up in some nightmares. And we had hope, optimism, energy galore. We did not need to sleep. We had things to do, did we not and for sure, we knew better than our parents! 
     Those were the days, the days of yore, which have now become the days of the present. Our time to change the world is lessening but there is still time to return to those days. These turbulent days demand optimism, honesty and sheer naivety if we are to rearrange and fix our country and then the world. 
     I miss those days. High school. College. Our first apartment and furnishing it. The kids. Their schools. Our professional decisions and successes.
And defeats and disappointments too. But those days have led to today's days and they are just as good, just as powerful, just as hopeful. 
     So a bit battered and tempered by time we sing our old songs, seat dance to them when we sit in the theater and bless our stars and our hard work that we live where we do and where we still have hope to fix it all. Tikkun Olam - the fixing of the world, a duty that Jews must take on themselves.
     Those were the days - but so are these. It ain't over till you know who sings! And if she does, then let us oversing her, shout it out with joy and hope - and get to your polling place and vote for hope, real change, honesty, knowledge and sanity.