I was honored when I read Jim Adam’s Thursday Inspiration prompt today to find that he gave me a shoutout for one of my favorite expressions, “Whatever floats your boat.”
The idea for Jim’s prompt is for us to respond by using the prompt word “whatever,” by going with the above picture, by leveraging the song “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves,” by using with another song by Cher, or by anything else that we think fits.
I decided to go with the word “whatever,” to use the above picture, and to leverage a song that predates Cher by at least a decade and that I recall from the first Alfred Hitchcock film I remember seeing, “The Man Who Knew Too Much,” starring Doris Day and Jimmy Stewart. And I’m specifically focusing on the song that Doris Day sang in the movie, “Que Sera, Sera,” which translates to “whatever will be, will be.”
The song written by the team of Jay Livingston and Ray Evans that was first published in 1955 and was introduced in Hitchcock’s 1956 thriller. It won the 1956 Best Song Oscar under the alternate title “Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera).”. The song reached number two on the US pop charts and number one in the UK. The most recognized refrain in the song goes…
Que sera, sera Whatever will be, will be The future’s not ours to see Que sera, sera What will be, will be
Here’s the scene from the movie where Doris Day sings the song. Enjoy.
For Jim Adams’ Thursday Inspiration prompt this week, he’s asked us to respond using the word “fool,” going with the above image, and/or leveraging the Doobie Brothers song, “What a Fool Believes.”
First of all, let me just say for the record, that I was never much of a Doobie Brothers fan until Michael McDonald joined the group. He added depth and dimension to their sound, giving it a more jazzy, sophisticated vibe. And after he departed from the group, I once again lost interest in the Doobie Brothers.
Now, with that out of the way, when I saw the word “fool,” my mind harkened back to that 1980s television series, “The A Team,” with the iconic Mr. T and his classic tag line:
There are two prompts today that seemed to fit together like a hand in a glove. One prompt, Throwback Thursday is from Maggie, at From Cave Walls, and Lauren, at LSS Attitude of Gratitude. The two alternate hosting the prompt. The idea is for them to give us a topic and for us to write a post in which we share our own memories or experiences about the given topic. This week, Maggie chose the topic of “friendship.” Maggie wants to know…
Who was the earliest friend you remember?
My parents had just moved us to Silver Spring, Maryland from Newark, New Jersey. I was five years old and going into first grade. Dennis was one of the first kids I met at school and he lived a few blocks from where I lived. He and I became fast friends.
What drew you to this person?
He knew his way around the block and around the school, so he could show me the ropes. And he liked the same things I liked.
What kinds of things did you do together.
We hung out, played games, and had fun. Hell, we were only five years old!
Did you have pen pals?
I used to keep in touch with long-distant friends via the exchange of letters, but these days it’s primarily via emails and text messages.
Have you maintained long-term friendships from childhood.
Only one, actually. We have moved so often in my adult life that I’ve lost touch with most of my childhood friends.
Did you have autograph books?
Nope.
How about high school yearbooks signed by friends?
Yes, I still have my high school yearbook signed by friends from back then, although I can’t recall the last time I looked at it.
What kinds of things may have made you sever friendships?
As I said, we’ve moved around a lot over the years, so after a while, life, time, and distance just got in the way of keeping the friendships going.
Are you a friend collector – the more the better – or are you content with the intimacy of a few close friends?
The latter. I have a relatively small circle of close friends.
How does your personality (shy or outgoing) affect the friendships you develop?
At this stage of my life, my age is what affects new friendships, so other than casual friendships with my neighbors, I haven’t made many new friends lately.
What is the quality you desire in a friend?
Knowing that this friend “has my back.”
Now that I’ve answered Maggie’s question on friendships, let’s move on to the other prompt, which is the Thursday Inspiration prompt from Jim Adams. Jim’s prompt usually focuses on music, and today he gave us the song “Holding Out for A Hero,” by Bonnie Tyler. But he also said we could respond to his prompt by using the word “need.” I, of course, thought what goes together better than “need” and “friendship.” And in response to Jim’s prompt, I’m giving you this classic song from Carole King, “You’ve Got a Friend.”
Truth be told, I’ve never been much of a thrill seeker. I’ve never been sky diving. Not bungee jumping, either. About the most thrilling things I’ve done have been whitewater rafting on the New River in West Virginia, downhill skiing on a black diamond slope at Killington in Vermont, and driving in road rallies with my best friend from college.
And I wasn’t particularly good at any of those activities, more often experiencing the agony of defeat rather than the thrill of victory. I almost drowned in the New River. I cracked two ribs at Killington. And the best I ever managed at a road rally was 12th place. Out of 18 cars participating.
All that said. I’ve had a fun and enjoyable life, albeit not what most people would call a thrilling life. I’m just an ordinary guy who has lived a rather unremarkable life. But I’m happy. I’m content.
And in honor of Jim Adams’ Thursday Inspiration prompt, which asks us to respond to this prompt using the word “thrill,” or going with the above thrilling photo, I’m going to end this post with the great song from blues artist B.B. King titled, “The Thrill is Gone.”
I had stayed home, mostly in bed, for the past week and a half because I was feeling under the weather. I did manage to have a Zoom call with my three offsprings, one of whom advised me to drink at least eight glasses of water in order to flush my system of germs. Another suggested that anyone with all of the pent up, repressed anger I was bottling up inside was bound to get sick. A third me to be more open to natural remedies and holistic therapies.
But today I was finally feeling better and being that it was a beautiful autumn day, I went out to the park with a large bottle of natural spring water, spread a blanket, and let the light, refreshing winds wash over me. I was unburdening my spirit of negativity as I watched, in what seemed like slow motion, the breeze pick up the individual seeds of the young dandelion and float them through the air.
It was therapeutic and mesmerizing until my allergies took hold and I couldn’t stop sneezing.
Written for Jim Adams’ Thursday Inspiration prompt, inspired by the photo above and by the word “breeze.”
Also for these daily prompts: The Daily Spur (stay), Ragtag Daily Prompt (under the weather), Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (offspring), Word of the Day Challenge (flush), Your Daily Word Prompt (repress), and My Vivid Blog (open).
This, That, and The Other 