The Cute Beatle and the Dancing Deer

There are times when the past collides with the present and tonight was one such time. I was bored and boredom usually means hours in front of the television set. I’m not proud to admit that I can be a couch potato but for some reason this evening, I couldn’t pull myself away from the images on the screen. After a run up and down the channels, I settled on axc.tv, a music channel I normally don’t watch. But tonight, they were broadcasting a 2009 Paul McCartney concert. I grew up listening to the Beatles and had the good fortune to see McCartney perform live at the Palace of Auburn Hills. The playlist consisted of a combination of Wings and Beatles songs, from Blackbird to Band on the Run. I knew the words to every song and the melodies flooded my mind with memories of days past.

With Paul singing in the background, I spotted a group of young deer who had congregated in the backyard. Several of them were rooting through the scattered corn and seeds on the ground; the remainder decided that twilight was a good time for a game of tag. Up and down the hill they ran, chasing each other over the brush piles, around the trees, bucking and rising up on their back legs.

I was so captivated by these deer at play while listening to music of my own youth. I was once like those young deer:  so full of energy and fun. Despite the decades that have passed from my life, I retain those memories of that young woman who listened to Beatles records and played outside all summer,  riding bikes with friends, climbing trees, giggling over boys.

Somehow, I have forgotten what it is like to live every day fully present and open to new opportunities.   My life has settled into a routine where consistency and predictability has replaced the spontaneity of youth. Where did the wide-eyed enthusiasm I once had go to? What happened to my curiosity, my fearlessness, my desire to embrace everything that life had to offer?

I’m certain that it is still there, deep down inside, covered over by years of responsibility. I just finished a book that spoke of recapturing the joyfulness of youth that so often is stomped down by a society that expects adults to become so serious. Where does it say that once you reach a certain age, you can no longer dance, sing and giggle? Paul McCartney remains timeless, because he continues to nurture that love of music that grew from his early days with George, John and Ringo. Young deer become adults, but that doesn’t prevent them from prancing around the yard. The last thing I expected as I watched television tonight was an “aha” moment. What I do with that moment is up to me.