Road Trip: Jackson

After graduating college, I lived in Jackson, Tennessee, home of the Golden Circle, Casey Jones Village, the Red Dog Saloon, and Carl Perkins. I secured a job with a local television station working evenings on three live broadcasts five days a week. The pay wasn't much but, as is often said, my foot was in the door.

I had attended college about thirty minutes away, so I was familiar with Jackson. It was the weekend getaway from the books and studying. It was the place to take a date on a Friday night. So, when I actually moved there I became more aware of what the city offered. I already understood I was comfortable here, so if the work stayed steady then this could become home.

Work became the reason I left there. The station had some ongoing legal issues and seemed poorly operated on a few levels. The main problem for me, and many of my co-workers, was the parent company would issue our checks late every other Thursday. Often, they told us to hold the check until Monday because the account they were drawing money from might not have enough funds to cover payroll. This happened enough times that summer that a few of us rewrote the lyrics to Terence Trent D'Arby's song, "Sign Your Name (Across My Heart)" to "Sign Your Name (Across My Check)." So, just before Thanksgiving, having located a job in my hometown, I moved back to Georgia.

Still, looking back I had about six months in Jackson. I rented my first apartment. The lady I rented from was named Annette, except she pronounced her name A-net. For my job, I covered a rodeo in nearby Lexington. I also covered an election in Union City, and the world's largest milkshake at the start of my college's fall semester. I hung out with friends. I waved to Carl Perkins in a catfish restaurant once. I learned a lot about myself in those days.

There were times I made a few road trips. When I was searching for a new job, I took several trips back to Georgia. Most of these were trips I made overnight. When my work week ended on Friday night about 11, I had my car loaded for a weekend road trip. Fueled on Mountain Dew and Little Debbie snack cakes, I barreled down the interstate in the dark of the night. I suppose the great thing about being in your early-twenties then was how I never second-guessed the sanity of doing this. I am not sure I would try this now. Anyway, I would pull into my parents' driveway early Saturday morning. My Mom usually worked on Saturday and my Dad usually had chores to do, so I found a bed and crashed until midday. Over the weekend though, I enjoyed being back home and visiting family and friends there. Early Monday morning, I loaded up my car and made the trip back to Jackson, most of it in daylight.

There came a time when I gave notice to my employer. They owed me parts of pay for six weeks when I left (spoiler alert: they eventually paid all of us what we earned). I remember that final day of work. I recall calling a friend to say goodbye. I remember that day was rainy. Autumn's leaves stuck to the pavement in the wetness. I left for work early that day just so I could revisit some of the old haunts one last time, if only in a passing car. I drove by the movie theatre, the mall, the Siam Room Chinese restaurant ("Welcome back!"), the Mexican drive-thru I sometimes visited after work, and other places that have now blended into time and memory. I went to work for the final time there, and, later after work, made a trip back to Georgia.

I've been back to Jackson several times through the years even though it has been a long time since my last visit there. I remember that place and my time there fondly, and on occasion, I miss those days. Of course, that place has changed from the way I remember. I am grateful though I can remember that place the way I do, a nice stop along the way in my life's journey.

Playlist for Road Trip: Jackson
Johnny Cash and June Carter: "Jackson"
Carl Perkins "Blue Suede Shoes"
Rob Jungklas "Memphis Thing"
Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens "Streets of Bakersfield"
John Kilzer "Memory in the Making"
Jimmy Davis and Junction "Kick The Wall"
Blue Tears "Rockin' With The Radio"
Rosanne Cash "Runaway Train"
Tracy Chapman "Fast Car"
Cheap Trick "The Flame"
Keith Richards: "Take It So Hard"
John Hiatt: "Drive South"

Not Always Easy

A part of life that never changes is how life is always changing. Since much of this type of change is gradual, most of us live with some understanding that we live in the time between we realize such changes. Some change takes place, we realize the change and react.

When I think about my life, I seem to end up measuring the way life is now with how it was when I first can recall. This takes me back to my childhood. At this time, I began putting the puzzle pieces together of who I was, and who was in my family. God blessed me with a wonderful immediate family. Beyond that He also blessed me with amazing aunts, uncles, and cousins.

As life moved on, changes came about. Family members moved away. Some drifted away. Some died.

I was one of those who moved away. Granted, it is just a few hours away but still the distance and time is great enough to make it difficult to get there easily at times.

Still, there are days when I wish I could go back to the way it was when I first understood how those pieces of the puzzle fit together so that all the family I have ever known would still be together. Of course, such wishing can never make such a thing happen. This leads to another part of life, when change happens we react in some way. Hopefully, we all adapt, you know, change, in some way and move forward.

Recently, a couple of those extended family members died. Under normal circumstances, juggling work and family schedules here would determine how I could pay my respects. After all, being part of such a close and large family taught me to honor and respect those of us who pass away when that time comes. With the added weight of global pandemic, that decision became harder.

As I waited to hear details of visitation and service, the inclusion of the virus added to the equation of attending. When the details became available, it became clear I would not be able to attend. Work and family matters here would not bend enough to allow me to be present.

Living away from most of my family means this happens at times. Each time I grapple with this, I end up feeling guilty. I feel as if I am not properly remembering and honoring what these family members have meant, still mean and will forever mean to me.

To some who read this, what I say here may not mean much. To some family does not matter very much for various reasons. To some stopping to reflect when someone dies is a waste of time, after all, life goes on for the living. For me, I cannot understand that type of thinking. I was raised differently I suppose.

Part of life is also about making hard choices then living with the consequences of those decisions. When I moved here over twenty-five years ago, I knew then how losing family members to death would be something that would bother me. Knowing I could not always be on hand to share tears, laughs and memories of loved ones with those family members who will always be a part of who I am is something I knew I had to accept at some level. I am not sure I have been successful at finding that place. I am not sure I really want to ever find that place. I know now when it happens, it is never an easy thing to go through. That is one thing that does not seem to change.

Road Trip: College Visits

Writing about various road trips I have experienced through the years has been an interesting journey. Several of these trips came to memory easily. Sometimes though the memory of one or two of them creeps in that had nearly slipped away.

As I get older, I find myself growing more nostalgic about days gone by. Those days weren’t probably as good as memory revisits them now. Still, they sure seemed good.

While some of those memories remain vivid as if they happened just yesterday, some things about such memories aren’t quite as close by to recall. After all if something happened when I was seventeen years old, it is hard for my now much more older body to recall what things were like then.

In hindsight, high school days went by very fast. It seemed as if they were over about as quickly as they started. When they ended, some of us weren’t sure what to do next.

What I do recall is how when we were seniors, we were granted three days so we could visit colleges. Looking back, I did not take these days seriously. I mean, you tell me how you plan to give me three days I do not have to attend classes and all you need is written confirmation I went on a campus tour. Sign me up.

Memory is hazy now on recalling who went on these trips. I have a good idea who was on at least two of the trips. Our friendship coupled with the time from high school into adulthood and parenthood for all of us makes me not even try to name any of them here. The statute of limitations may not be up for some of them, too. You just do that for longtime friends.

One trip was to a technical school about 45 minutes away. I don’t recall much about the visit other than it was rather short. We looked at a few things then it was over. The second trip was to a nice private college a few hours away. This one took a bit longer. The campus personnel may have looked us over and decided we weren’t future students but if they did we still saw their dog-and-pony show. I remember being bowled over at the beauty of the campus. I even looked over the printed material they gave us several times after the trip. The final trip was to a large state university over two hours away. It seemed like a great town but all of us knew none of us would be going to school here either. We were back on the road soon enough.

I do not remember a lot of specifics about the actual ride to these places. We made it there then back safely. At this point, that is what matters. The memories I have of those trips is just being with my friends. I remember us joking with each other. I remember laughing with them. Good times. Better friends.

I am not sure I would go back to being seventeen years old again. Looking back I see how green I was then. I understand how unprepared in many ways I was for the years ahead. I do know the teenage years can be awkward and tough as you go through them. It might be nice to be the weight I was then. It might be good to feel younger. It might even be nice to experience that feeling of knowing how the future was still wide open then. I know it would be good to have one more ride with those friends. It just ended too soon. It always does.

Playlist for Road Trip: College Visits
The Rolling Stones "Start Me Up"
Earth, Wind & Fire "Let's Groove"
Frankie & The Knockouts "Sweetheart"
Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band "Betty Lou's Gettin' Out Tonight"
Pat Benetar "Hit Me With Your Best Shot"
Boz Scaggs "Miss Sun"
The Who "You Better You Bet"
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with Stevie Nicks "Insider"
Kim Carnes "Bette Davis Eyes"
Journey "Who's Crying Now?"
Steve Winwood "While You See A Chance"
George Harrison "All Those Years Ago"

30513 Memories: High School

It became a time when things just got more real than they had ever been before. Suddenly, we were taking tests to earn our driver’s licenses. We went on first dates. There were ball games and proms and other school-related events. We registered in case the draft was re-instituted. Some of us got our first jobs. We pondered what the future held. We were high-school students and the future was ours.

I know back then, in the moments that made up that time, it sure seemed like each day crawled by, slower than Christmas or like a test which you didn't study for. Looking back, it really passed in a flash. Even now, I am not certain I can recall my first day or my last day on the actual campus. I was there though, and now I realize there were many times between the two.

The changes that started in middle school would continue over the next few years before concluding when grade twelve ended. Then, the real changes, the real world, came knocking. Until then, we tuned our radios to Z93 or 94Q or 96 Rock. We watched “The Dukes of Hazzard”, “Three’s Company” and “Dallas” on TV. We cruised through town in our cars, or in our parent’s cars. It was a new world and it was ours.

It was fun ride. In high school, we had a fun crew of teachers and administrators, Daddy Frank, Smoky, Edfred, KD, Coach Hedden, Wild Bill, Hollywood, Ms. Holden. Our school also had a vocational school attached offering practical opportunities to students since a college track isn’t for everyone.

I recall classes with a poor geometry teacher who lost the attention of the class the first day. Once I remember seeing him drive away after school one day with a radio he brought to class on the roof of his car. One time, we locked him out of the classroom when he went outside no doubt to alleviate his stress by burning down a cigarette. I remember once he moved a troublemaker to the desk directly in front of the teacher’s desk. When the teacher would go to the board behind the desk to write something, the troublemaker would use his feet and legs to push the teacher’s desk toward the board. Then he, and the rest of us, would pull our desks forward. This happened until the teacher attempted to turn around only to bump up against his own desk. Sad to say, I don't recall many things about that class other than a series of teenage shenanigans but I can’t help but laugh every time I remember them.

Other classes were good, even sometimes fun. I was challenged by history classes with Mr. Williamson, who referred to "Exxon" as "Ex-e-on". Mrs. Buttram was a great English teacher and even better person. Ms. Holden would rush into the chorus/band room, set her keys on the piano, only to have them lifted by someone then passed from class member to class member every day until the end of class when one of us would hand them back to her. I even recall driver’s education courses with Coach Hedden and a white Chevy Chevette.

I don’t recall eating lunch there often. Usually, I grabbed a bag of cherry sours and that was the only thing I ate the entire day. In between classes, and at lunch time, we just hung out in the commons area. The pairing of friends that really kicked in during middle school became more evident during these times. It seemed certain that these friends would be the ones that would last. For some, they would. For others, more change would follow.

It all ended at 3:14 every afternoon. It’s funny how I can still recall that exact time, isn’t it? Once in awhile now, I look at a clock and see it reading 3:14 and without fail, I think of the mad dash to leave the high school that took place in my specific world just a few hundred times. When that last 3:14 bell rang for my class, no one knew where it would lead us.

Some of us left in a school bus. Some of us left in our own cars. For some, it led us far away from that small mountain town. Some made the military their next stop. Some went off to college, near and far. Some left and never came back. Some stayed close to home, hoping the education just earned was enough to get their foot in the door somewhere so they could stay in the place they loved.

No matter where we all landed, a group of about two hundred of us spent time together for a while. It seemed like the journey would never end but it did on an early summer night in a graduation ceremony on the school’s football field. And, now, looking back, it seems like so long ago, and that the time passed too fast. Still, I sometimes miss the times from then. I miss more the people, the friends from then. I miss being goofy, laughing, even the newness of learning that the time and place there offered. It was a special time and place with special people and I am grateful to have been there.

High school playlist:

Stevie Nicks with Tom Petty "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around"

Electric Light Orchestra "Don't Bring Me Down"

Journey "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'" 

Santana "Winning" 

Fleetwood Mac "Tusk" 

Kim Carnes "Bette Davis Eyes" 

John Cougar (Mellencamp) "Ain't Even Done With The Night" 

Rickie Lee Jones "Chuck E's in Love" 

Alabama "Love In The First Degree" 

Greg Guidry "Goin' Down" 

James Taylor and J.D. Souther "Her Town Too" 

Elton John "Little Jeannie" 

Rosanne Cash "Seven Year Ache" 

Moody Blues "The Voice" 

Steve Forbert "Romeo's Tune" 

Carly Simon "Jessie" 

Toto "99" 

Little River Band "The Night Owl" 

Queen "Another One Bites The Dust" 

38 Special "Caught Up In You" 

Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band "Tryin' To Live My Life Without You" 

The Greg Kihn Band "The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)" 

Blondie "The Tide Is High" 

The Commodores "Sail On" 

It Is Good To Be Alive

And with that, another year comes to a close. Going to store this one away so I can look back over it from time to time. Admittedly, most days will be forgotten. Routine does that with time. Still, good feelings come around when memories of those you love are near.

“Life is like a hurricane
It brings the wind, it brings the rain
Mud and bone, and tangled vine
Pick the grape and drink the wine
Laissez Le Bon Temps... Bon Temps Roule
Breathing in and out another day
Laissez Le Bon Temps... Bon Temps Roule
It's good to be alive”

Had some laughs during the past year. Hopefully made some people smile. Watched in wonder how the seasons on earth take their turn. Amazed how the seasons of life also each have a turn in our own lives. Thankful God watches over all of it.

“Roll in the clover bare your feet
Bees will sting but honey's sweet
Chickens run but angels fly
'Cuz God is holding up the sky
Laissez Le Bon Temps... Bon Temps Roule
Breathing in and out another day
Laissez Le Bon Temps... Bon Temps Roule
It's good to be alive”

Lost some family and friends in the last 365. Trust they are in a better way now. As time moves on, time moves faster. Nothing new to share in that regard. Each moment is fleeting so hold those you love close.

“Shiny hearses long and black
Don't come with a luggage rack
You can't take it when you go
So let the good, the good times roll
Laissez Le Bon Temps... Bon Temps Roule
Breathing in and out another day
Laissez Le Bon Temps... Bon Temps Roule
Je Suis Vivant... Vivant”

Look back. Look ahead. Breathe in. Breathe out. It is good to be alive.

“Shiny hearses long and black
Don't come with a luggage rack
You can't take it when you go
So let the good, the good times roll
Laissez Le Bon Temps... Bon Temps Roule
Breathing in and out another day
Laissez Le Bon Temps... Bon Temps Roule
It's good to be alive”
 

Live. Love. Work. Play. Be alive. May you make the most of the new year.

"It's Good To Be Alive" written by Matraca Berg and Troy Verges

Performed by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band