Thirty-seven years ago I stood in a pub in Jerusalem and laughed when an Israeli guy asked “Have You Seen The Queen Before?”
It was a little unfair of me because his English was pretty good and he was referring to the band Queen and their performance at Live Aid in England.
The pub had satellite television and at the time it was a very big deal to have access to international television shows in a way that people who didn’t experience can’t relate to.
It is like when I shush the kids because I am “talking long distance” and they laugh because they know it is an anachronistic type remark.
Doesn’t cost anything special anymore for those long distance calls be they cross country or international date lines.
But in 1985 it was pretty damn cool to stand in that place, beer in hand singing along with hundreds of other teenagers.
A bunch of us stayed in touch and sometimes we revisit those moments and talk about whether our kids had as much fun in camp or in Israel as we did.
We were privileged in so many ways and so very innocent–it was a different world.
Some friends say it was better and in some ways it was but maybe not to the extent some of you or I think. That might sound pollyannaish but time has a way to impacting our memories of some things.
Will You See The Queen Again?
That was one of the follow up questions this same guy asked us. I remember telling him I had plans on seeing my queen again.
One of the guys made a smart ass remark about whether my queen had a hairy chest and size 12 pumps.
I don’t remember my response, but it probably included punching him in the shoulder or something similar because that is what 16-year-old boys do.
Thirty-seven years later the memories drip like honey from the giant oak tree of memories in my mind.
If only those boys could see where it all went and all the experiences that would come. I wonder if they could believe it or if the glimpse of the road not yet traveled would make them shake their heads.
As one of those aforementioned boys I am confident I would have been shocked and surprised by some of it.
But not all.
No sir and no ma’am.
Some of what I see before me now, both today and in the vision of the future make sense to me. Have to wait and see if it plays out as I expect, but I think I will be surprised if it doesn’t.
Why?
Because decades of experience have shown me that when I get this particular feeling it is because I know something.
People can take my hand and go along for the ride or get out of the way because I shook the devil off and am only getting stronger.
That is the benefit of experience. It provides the knowledge and faith that you can achieve certain things because you have done it before.
Kind of exciting.
