Walking in Memphis... (Literally)

Mom and I and the two dogs are on our “epic journey” drive across the country.  I was standing in line at a McDonald’s 30 miles outside of Nashville when Mom caught sight of a television and got my attention.  “Look at the news when you can,” she said.  Alarmed, I looked up immediately and the shock of what I was seeing washed over me.  We continued on to Memphis as we had planned.  As we checked in to the hotel, the front desk’s television was tuned to a station playing all Whitney Houston videos and we stayed awake longer than I thought we possibly could have, as we settled in to our room with eyes glued to the newscasts reporting on Whitney’s passing.

We ALL watched the news

Today Mom and I went to visit Graceland, as we had already planned.  Of all the days we could have been here, it seemed especially poignant to be walking through the home and museum of Elvis Presley the day after the world also lost Whitney Houston.  Hanging in the air was the eerie knowledge that history has a habit of repeating itself and that we have lost so many amazingly great talents all too soon.   As we stood where Elvis stood and walked through his rooms and among his personal things our senses were flooded with his presence.  As we watched videos that walked us through days in his life, there were times when we got all teary eyed and times when we felt bone chilling similarities between the past we were revisiting and the newscasts we’d seen only the night before.  We decided to spend an extra night here so that we could watch the Grammy Awards.

Postcard I bought today

These mega-artists – Elvis, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston – gave us so much of themselves.  I can’t help but think that they gave us too much.  They gave us everything they had to give – and then more.

Collage hanging next to my hotel room bed

Photos hanging above my hotel room bed

I am reminded of the importance of balance and that ALL of us in our busy lives and these crazy times MUST figure out ways to slow down and just appreciate life’s simple joys.  Questions haunt my thoughts: Why does this keep happening?  Why do we all too often push ourselves until we break?  Why do we deny ourselves who we really are in favor of pursuing bigger accomplishments and more, more, more?  Why are there so many pressures?  When do we say “No” or “Enough is enough”?  It’s all just so sad.

I am immensely grateful for all the beautiful songs, memories and inspirations.  What kind of world would we live in now if not for all of those gifts?  But what if you were still here?  What if we had not devoured all your gifts and eagerly demanded more?  What can we all learn from the loss we're feeling?  What can we do?

I wish I had all the answers – or at least some clever idea that might change the world, but maybe we all just need to ask the questions ourselves, and search and strive for our own truths.

God Bless us all on our paths. 

Love,

T