St. Patrick's Day is one of my favorite non-major holidays! I don't know if it's because of my eye color or because I liked pinching people who forget to wear green...but I like it. I've been asking myself this question for a few days. Why do I love this idea of little green men hunting for pots of gold at the end of rainbows? I've never even found a four-leaf clover.🍀🌈🍀
Tonight, in the car, I played Johnny Cash's song about Ireland - "Forty Shades of Green". It can't be categorized as an Irish song; still, it's just the perfect St. Patrick's Day song for me. But that's not the main reason I love that one. In the last years, Dad told me that was one of his most favorite Johnny Cash songs. I couldn't remember hearing it before. So, we did what we did. We dug out the vinyl, plugged in the record player with an extension cord running over Mom's kitchen table, and we listened to it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEWEyRQHia8
I only had to hear it one time to decide I liked that one too. It painted a picture of the different greens of crop varieties in fields, the emerald sea and so on....but it also expresses deep longing to be able to do and see again things one has already done or seen.
When I heard it play in the car today, I wasn't in the car. I was back in my parents' kitchen. We had coffee. My Dad was sitting at the end of the table wearing a blue and white shirt. My Mom was looking at Elvis records. I can remember a lot of detail about that day but very much longed to do and see that again for real.
Earlier in the week, I watched a treasure hunting show on TV and I longed to hear my Dad tell about the different home places he had been around with his little shovel and metal detector. I longed to walk those river bottoms with him looking for cool rocks. Dad would point out blue grass, rye grass, and all the types of wildflowers. It was fun to look for treasure as a kid. Now I know the treasure is the memory.
After the Razorbacks beat Kansas tonight, I had the urge to pick up my phone and call to discuss highlights of the game. That happens even more during football season. I actually long to do that again on a regular basis. But, I feel so lucky to have a chance to call my mom and chat. We share some of those treasured memories together.
It might be true that Johnny Cash wrote this song in the 1950's after he visited Ireland and knew he wanted to return again since he loved it, as he was actually able to do. And it might also be true that he likened what he saw to memories of working the land with his parents in Arkansas to get the crops in and out. Further, it might be true that when my Dad heard this song, he recalled farming with his family. Maybe he reflected on the exhausting days of tilling, sowing, harvesting with but a cold biscuit for lunch. Even possibly, both these men respected the hard but honest work the farmers in Ireland were doing and were curious how that compared to walking behind a mule and plow in the Delta. Kindred spirits are in all sorts of places.
I have a shamrock necklace my father handed me sometime in the late 1980's. I think that's why St. Patrick's Day is my favorite. And, I play Forty Shades Of Green sometimes to evoke the memory of an important time for me.
And just because you've done something awesome once, doesn't mean experiencing it again wouldn't bring you joy. Trust me on this....I have a longer list every year. Like the kind of event that might bring a tear to your eye, the tiny opportunity you'd pay lots of money for, conversations you want to have again even though you know how they end. Such gorgeous sights to see, in forty shades of green or in an old vinyl record just spinning round and round. If you live your best without creating regret, it's sweet to imagine the possibility to experience again the many things you've seen and done...💚💚💚
And, it may not be your style of music, but I've pasted the words if you are curious:
💚"Forty Shades Of Green"🍀
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