HOW DO YOU DEAL?
By Jeana Esser What Now?
Man, oh man, I must say that this summer has definitely gotten off to an "oily" start on so many levels. I cannot help but to briefly refer to BP's oil spill and the effect that it has had on the livelihood and way of life of so many people.
I really do not want to get into the whole oil spill thing because we are all affected by it and, the more I think about it, the angrier I get. We are all angry and we all want a piece of BP's hide, but at present all we can do is figure out some type of way to muddle through this summer with some semblance of a positive outlook that our coast will survive and our remaining wildlife will be spared. Given that, I wish to go back to the hazy, crazy, lazy days of summer……way back when times were somewhat carefree and getting a sunburn or being stung by a jellyfish was the worst thing that might happen. I have asked several people to share some happy summertime memories and I would like to shift gears and present them to you.
So many people have made songs about summer such as, "Hot Fun in the Summer time, 'Summertime Blues', and 'California Girl'. This is what summer brings to mind. One friend I know of spoke of whistling the old whaling tunes back in merry ole' New
England. He spun a yard about spending every Memorial Day in the family camper en route to Dune's Edge, just shy of Provincetown (a.k.a. P Town) on the Cape. He spoke of eating rock candy and meeting up with other vacation families whilst being left to their own devices, which included listening to Queen, A Night at the Opera, all summer long until the parental units pulled the plug.
I recall one summer the month after my mother passed away back in 1987, I took a road trip with my best gal pal (who passed away a few years later in a tragic car accident). We drove about 12 hours up north to visit her family in Hot Springs, Arkansas. This was pretty much foreign territory for me. I was experiencing a bit of a culture shock to say the least. Her older sister, an attorney who knew the town well, picked us up for a "night on the town" and unbeknownst to me, it was more than I ever bargained for. She said that we were going to see a band and have dinner. She did not know that I was a music freak and had over 200 albums to my credit, so her sister's little friend knew some stuff about music. I asked what band we were to see and she said "Chick Corea", ever heard of him? I nearly had to change my shorts. I was floored! For those of you who are music aficionados, he is a jazz legend. He played with his band, Return to Forever. I urge you to Google them. It was a concert to remember. He played in a smallish theater in the middle of nowhere and we actually got to meet him afterward.
I spent almost every summer in Florida as a child, the family renting a condo somewhere in Pensacola, Destin, or Navarre Beach. I remember buying the blockbuster book by Peter Benchley, Jaws, which is still my favorite movie to date. I remember buying a new swimsuit (my mother let me buy one after the knees wore out of my old one) and not setting foot in the water at all during that trip. I mean, for years I used to fall asleep on a raft and wake up a million miles away from shore where the people were the size of pinheads.
I fully intend to have a great summer despite our current state of affairs. So far this has been one of the busiest summers that I personally know of. I am teaching a Painting Workshop, tutoring homeless children in another parish, working another job, and taking at least 2 vacations to various parts of Florida. We have changed our vacation plans to accommodate this oil spill in the hopes that we may be spared at least somewhat. I read somewhere that the only thing bigger than this spill are the tears that have been free flowing from us Southern folk because of this tremendous impact being felt by so many. I still cannot believe what has been happening. All we can do is pray for things to get better and enjoy the wonderful things that Baton Rouge has to offer, which is a lot.
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