Maybe We’ll Be Okay

I’ve seen two things recently that 1) make me feel old, and 2) give me some measure of hope that the world is not completely going to hell in a handbasket.

The first one is this video of teenagers playing some really kick-ass bluegrass, via BoingBoing:

 

And the second one is this photo of Greek teenagers confronting riot police during the late riots in that country (Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images), also via BoingBoing:

A Good Job of Life

I guess this post is a little tribute to my mom, who died ten years ago this month from cancer. I can hardly believe it’s been ten years. Wow. My mom was one of those people who was friendly with everybody, rarely said anything really bad about anyone, and always managed to look on the bright side of everything. Whatever success I have at staying positive in bad situations is due entirely to her; she was the best example I could imagine. My last years with her were spent as a teenager, doing all the things teenagers usually do with their mother: fight, argue, act like a jerk, etc. It wasn’t all like that, but I wish less of it had been. I wish I’d known my mom as an adult, and I wish I could have shared more of my life with her. I both miss her and feel her with me every day. The main thing I’d want to say to her is just this: thanks, Mama.

PS-this photo was taken when I was four years old. Behind her is her garden, which, if I remember correctly, produced a bumper crop of everything that year. My fondest childhood memories involve sitting with my mom and grandma in the summer, shelling peas, snapping greenbeens, or shucking corn. I especially enjoyed the peas.