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My mother died in 2001 and my brother in law died this past August. My job was put to rest in May.
That is so funny that you mentioned the Tilt A Whirl. My sister just went to a fair and watched as the children rode it but she didn't get on. I loved the Tilt A Whirl.
I felt something change in me while singing and dancing to Bob Seger. This is the first time since I was that young girl that I am totally FREE. I want to make the most of it. I want to feel what that free young girl felt way back when. I want to let my hair go gray and long and flowing and wear paisley blouses and colorful beads. I want to paint and dance and be around animals. I want to live again, not just go through the motions of life but really enjoy it.
The only thing stopping you is YOU!!
Like that Nike commercial used to say...Just do it!
But Donna, you still do have a lot of the young Donna in you---or you wouldn't have responded again to Bob Seger. But play him again and again! Research shows that music that we associate with a good time of life can be very beneficial to us emotionally and physically. For years I avoided the music I loved back in the day (1960's to early 1970's) because I didn't want to live in a time warp and be living in the past. But that was stupid---and now I enjoy great rock music every day (Jim Morrison is my fantasy dead rock star boyfriend, even though he was a womanizer/alcoholic/drug user. He was still a wonderful poet).
And if you didn't still have it in you, you wouldn't have moved to Asheville! It's not like you moved to the Villages in Florida to retire. You chose a hip place with a European flair, where people still retain a degree of hippiness. I envy you about Asheville.
Asheville would be a place where you could fully be yourself, unless most places in the South. I live in metro Atlanta, but I feel that Asheville would be more of a spiritual home to me (I'm spiritual but not religious, do yoga and meditation, am a vegan, and have long graying hair).
Do you know about Meetup, where you can meet kindred souls and encourage each other to embrace the real you, even if it's buried deep down?
The funny thing is Night Moves was never a favorite song of mine. Something just clicked inside of me today when I heard it. I am not trying to go back in time, I just want that girl that has been hibernating for 30 years to come back out and play.
I chose Asheville because of its funky vibe. I only spent a few days looking around and decided on Asheville. It just fit. I went last week to see a local artist paint to music. I went to a one woman play. It's not perfect here, but I like it already. I am starting to feel free again for the first time since I was 5 years old. No school, work or family obligations.
Yippee !!!!
Last edited by organic_donna; 10-16-2014 at 08:15 PM..
We have retired to Asheville this year. We are a bit older than you. Just relax, the beauty of the mountains will work magic, and melt away your stress. There are a plethora of music venues--including free concerts that will feed your soul. You can be whatever you wish. I have found the people accepting, and caring. You are in one of the best places to retire, in my opinion. We have been remodeling--and if you know that stress--it melts away when we sit on our porch and see the view.
My mother died in 2001 and my brother in law died this past August. My job was put to rest in May.
That is so funny that you mentioned the Tilt A Whirl. My sister just went to a fair and watched as the children rode it but she didn't get on. I loved the Tilt A Whirl.
I felt something change in me while singing and dancing to Bob Seger. This is the first time since I was that young girl that I am totally FREE. I want to make the most of it. I want to feel what that free young girl felt way back when. I want to let my hair go gray and long and flowing and wear paisley blouses and colorful beads. I want to paint and dance and be around animals. I want to live again, not just go through the motions of life but really enjoy it.
I always have loved the tilt a whirl. I stopped dying my hair recently--am letting it grow--am starting to adapt more flowing styles of dress, including super comfortable bras--we have lots of wildlife--maybe we will meet someday soon. Come paint in my new studio--when it is finished.
I think all of us get a tear in our eye when we think back to some of the things we did and the person we were long ago. I am a little older than you and grew up in the late 50's and 60's, and have a lot of memories to keep me going. Hiding in the trunk of a car to sneak into drive in movies, street racing in the wee hours of the night, learning to dance and going to clubs, having the pleasure of being with a lot of very good looking, cool girls, and generally experiencing life for the first time.
There are certain songs that I hear that bring back distinct memories, and I get very nostalgic when I hear them. But we are where we are and all we can do is enjoy life as much as we can before it all goes away.
This post was not really about me, it was about all of us. I wasn't looking for an answer, I already knew it. I saw a glimpse of that girl yesterday when Bob Segar sang Night Moves. She hadn't come out in such a long time. I thought about her when I lay in bed early this morning.
My father died when I was 12 years old and left me a substantial sum of money, which I received at 18. I was not a responsible young woman and spent it like there was no tomorrow. I was not good in school. I drank and partied too much. I was amazed that I graduated from college. I was 24 when my money ran out and I was fired from my first job I knew I had to grow up.
My fear of not having money caused the pendulum to swing too much the other way. I became super responsible and saved every penny I earned. Now it is time to find a middle ground.
The answer to my own question is no, I cannot go back to that girl I once was. Too much life has been lived in those 30 years. But I can bring her out to play more often that I have. She was a force to be reckoned with. She was fearless. But she was also scared and depressed. She had many dark days of the soul. I am much happier now. I just need to incorporate some of her playfulness back into my life.
Thank you for indulging me in my visit into the past. Maybe this post awoke some of you too.
Donna
now I cry whenever I hear it or sometimes just remembering it in my head. I wasn't even a "wild child," really a goody two-shoes, and didn't relate to the words very much, but something about the music and his voice was/is so poignant it brings me to tears!
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That is funny
