THE NIGHT
He sits in a smoke-filled lounge. His feet are propped up on a dingy red cloth chair next to him. The scene is in black and white, a dim lit bar filling even more with the cigarette he’s smoking with intention, his left eye squinting through the smoke as he exhales.
He looks to be deep in thought as he exhales another large plume of smoke in front of the dim, single bar light behind him. The scene cuts to him singing on the stage of that bar, his original band behind him. They were back. They were older, but they were doing it, defying the odds, bucking Father time.
It was 1983, they were The Animals, he was Eric Burdon, the new song was The Night. It had been almost 20 years since they released their self-titled album with their best known song, The House Of The Rising Sun, which went to the top of the charts in almost every English speaking country in the world.
In ’83 I was rooting for them. I can’t help but root for the underdog. In a changing world, they were trying, persevering. What’s not to root for?
In hindsight I can admit I like the music, still do. What I liked the most is that Father time hadn’t completely passed them by, I knew they were fighting a losing battle. The inevitable hadn’t swallowed them yet, though I knew they were close to their final curtain.
What made me pull for them beyond just music? I grew up watching Muhammed Ali box on TV with my dad. We eventually became fans of his and rooted for him to win regardless of whom he was fighting. As newcomers came along and he got older, we pulled for him even more.
Ali was defying time and tradition as he continued to fight and usually win. We could see him losing speed, stamina, and will power, but we continued to root against the odds. The last fight Ali fought was a sad memorial for me. Larry Holmes hit the legend at will. I wished for a glimpse of brilliance, a flash of a younger version of himself.
I kept thinking Ali might have something left in his tank… He didn’t. His tank appeared to be empty of everything, including his pride. The ending of that fight represented an ending of an era… Why did it affect me so deeply?
Change is inevitable. Even Dick Clark got old… As a youngster I grasped that nothing lasts forever. It might be one of the few things I listened to what my elders said and grasped.
To see Eric Burdon and The Animals still hitting the charts meant that special time in my life that represented a piece of my childhood was still alive. When Ali could no longer defend himself meant that a chapter of my life was over as well.
We all have milestones and markers we measure and relate with our own lives. The reality that Superman gets old, Joe Dimaggio couldn’t live forever, and our loved ones are mortal, tells us we too are subject to the same laws of nature.
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the sun. A time to be born, and a time to die. A time to plant, a time to reap that which is planted. A time to kill, a time to heal, a time to break down, and a time to build up. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.”
This portion of Ecclesiastes written by King Solomon reminds us there is a time for all things in our lives. I’ve tried to stretch out some of those times in my life, but just as God’s word makes clear, nothing on this earth lasts forever.
The only constant in this world is the Hand that sustains it, and even that time has a season according to Him. For each season God has determined the number of sunrises and sunsets that will make up each one for all of us.
I think God makes clear our job is to acknowledge His sovereignty in each season and give thanks for the seemingly little things in life.
A sunrise, a sunset, and the hours that fall between…
bill (cycleguy)
Friday, November 25, 2011 @ 2:52 pm
I have been thinking of this lately floyd. As I get older I realize that time has a way of changing things. I can’t cycle like I used to. I don’t have the stamina I used to. I don’t eat like I used (and shouldn’t). I don’t remember names like I used to. But I also know that God is helping me redeem the days with what is important. Love your thoughts here. have a great weekend my friend.
Floyd
Friday, November 25, 2011 @ 6:01 pm
Thanks Bill. I hear you loud and clear. A great weekend to you as well.
Hazel
Friday, November 25, 2011 @ 7:09 pm
It is good to root for those who are underdogs. Many have returned for a come back and remain for a time at least in our hearts. Time does change us all !!
I am so thankful that God never changes, even though we change a bit each day.
We lost a friend this past week, who was just a bit older than our children. She is with the Lord, which is a comfort, but those who go on ahead of us leave an open space in our lives.
Floyd
Saturday, November 26, 2011 @ 8:52 am
I hear you Hazel. Losing loved ones, even to the hand of God, leaves us with scars that won’t completely be healed till we’re all with Him. Excellent point. Thanks.
Nancy
Saturday, November 26, 2011 @ 12:35 am
This long weekend has given way to some cleaning and organizing on a fairly major level. Randy tackled the garage where we have a bit of everyone else’s stuff along with some of our own. I couldn’t even find the weight bench and the treadmill was loaded with boxes of my daughter’s stuff as well as some supplies I had brought home from my school. The rest of the school supplies takes up the small bedroom upstairs until we can get moved into the new office in Feb. I had two large rubbermaid totes full of students files/records sitting inside in my office waiting to be combines with the records I already stored here. I began a pile for shredding. As I began to look thru things, the nostalgia hit. My consulting days are over, but I found myself a bit wistful looking thru all the previous clients I once had. I quit that type of work so I could be home more and also start the DA school. I know God directed the change but I sure miss the money and some of the activity. It was never boring, that’s for sure. But neither was finishing raising my family. It was a choice for husband and family instead of dollars.
God spoke to me from Ps 3 – He said, “I’ll be your Glory, I’ll be your Shield , and I’ll be the lifter of your head”. I recognized the directive for change. It was hard to proceed. I guess above all, my quest is to be in HIS will at every season so he will say “well done”! Thanks for the pensive post!
Floyd
Saturday, November 26, 2011 @ 8:57 am
Thanks Nancy. It’s hard to give up the things we want, I know first hand. Not following the will of God leaves us in a no win situation. He will have His way. It’s His power that sustains us. In the end we find wisdom in doing His will in the first place, even if it means facing the dreaded changes. Thanks for the peek inside your life and your families. The personal stories are always the most fascinating for me.
Voni Harris
Saturday, November 26, 2011 @ 9:18 pm
My father-in-law grew up in Ali’s neighborhood. What an athlete!
Funny how we always push forward to the next stage in life or live in the past instead of just enjoying the stage God has put us in!
Floyd
Saturday, November 26, 2011 @ 9:54 pm
Thanks Voni, I can’t say I didn’t enjoy the time with my dad, I just didn’t want it to end. Even as a kid, I knew once it was over, I knew it was over for good. I think we should enjoy the times we have granted by God, but it doesn’t last forever… Hope you had a great Thanksgiving.
brad
Saturday, December 10, 2011 @ 8:59 am
You know, my friend as long as we are willing to accept it and have good friends to share it with, growing old is ok. We have more aches and pains, some of which never fully heal, but we have an inner peace we never had. Thx for helping me appreciate what we do have. You have a knack for that.
Floyd
Saturday, December 10, 2011 @ 11:14 am
Thanks Brad, funny, it’s your words that always seem to give me the boost. I do appreciate your wisdom and perspective, it helps me with mine.