Three Stages Of Life
It all comes back to me now...a short memoir, reflecting a long life.
Slathered in baby oil, and praying to the suntan gods, I lay on a blanket in my pink gingham checked bikini. “Sun-In” sprayed liberally in my hair, to bake in some blond highlights, because surfer hair was the thing in Santa Cruz. I didn’t surf, but I had aspirations. The sun was just starting to evaporate the dew from the fuchsia blossoms on a hedge that stretched the length of the house on the side yard. My head was full of The Troggs, singing, “Wild Thing” from my transistor radio. The DJ, talking over the last few notes of the song, was selling “Nice ’N Easy” shampoo, and Cougar, the “Boss car”.
These were fun, carefree years, but soon I became aware of our involvement the Viet Nam war, and between that and the racial tension, the news was very disturbing. The world around me had become so troubled. I had one brother demonstrating against the war, and the other brother in the navy. My father had been in the navy in WWII, and was very patriotic.”My Country, right or wrong!” I loved both my brothers, so there was no taking sides. I hated the war, and had I been old enough, I would have been out demonstrating with my brother. However, I was fiercely proud of my other brother, and we kept in touch while he was serving.
It all comes back to me, now, as I walk in demonstrations, opposing the current administration, and its actions against the people.
My time of peace comes with a walk in the redwoods, or gazing at the surf, my feet planted in the warm sand. On my “Gopher Farm”, are animals, birds and redwoods. There are layers of terra firma, each representing a generation of my Husband’s hard-working family. There is beauty in the clouds, the sun and in the full Harvest moon.
This is my sanctuary. No administration will pry me from it. I pray for the ones who have nothing.
Beautifully written, Sharon. Thank you for sharing.
You are living in paradise. When you recognize that the outside world and its problems is mostly "outside," it's easier to fight it off. It's that world we can actually control: the animals, the redwoods and surf, the stewardship of past generations' legacies. These immediate things we can control. That tumultuous world outside is beyond us. And it will eventually change to something else, for better or worse. No era has ever been free from strife, just our awareness of it. Like you, I take shelter in my fenced garden, listening to the noise of the neighborhood, but staying within what's under my control and joy. This was a good story. Thank you. We both lived in a beautiful those troubling time. I like to call it a pivotal era.