"Once in a Lifetime"

Do songs ever pop into your head?  You know, like when you're picking figs and that food song from Oliver is suddenly swirling around the little grey cells, or when you're out walking up a hill on Palomino Drive, and it's so steep that you have to take shorter steps, but you don't want to slow down, so you take more of them, and you fall into a rhythm, and suddenly, the Talking Heads from about 1980 are there with you, and you're remembering, as their song with that compelling beat matches the cadence of your steps...

And you may find yourself
In another part of the world
And you may find yourself
Behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house
With a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself, well
How did I get here?

And you forget that you are 68, and overweight, (slightly) and you feel young for a while and stronger, and you climb that hill, and the song continues to cycle in your head...

  same as it ever was

  same as it ever was

  same as it ever was

  same as it ever was

...but soon, reality intrudes. Lactic acid in your muscles increases, while the O2 in your blood stream plunges, and you find yourself paraphrasing the song...

'And you may ask yourself, why did I come this way?

And you may ask yourself, is this hill getting steeper?

And you may ask yourself, why am I seeing these spots? 

And you may ask yourself, where is my recliner?'

But then, you make it to the top, and you begin to hear the song better now as you recover and the pounding in your ears has stopped. You listen and enjoy it as you cruise your way down the other side toward home...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJyw8sAdths

And later, as you sit on your deck and watch the afternoon pass, the song continues, quieter now but still insistant, and you may ask yourself, "Where is my bottle of red wine?" and you may ask yourself, "Where is my zoom camera?" 

And you find them. 

And you select a tree and watch it, letting the days go by, as you record the constant, but ever-changing events before you, a once in a lifetime series that will never be repeated exactly as it has just happened, and you may ask yourself, "My God, how do I deserve this?"

  

Letting the days go by, Once in a lifetime.......!

   -djf