AS NASHVILLE GROWS AND CHANGES

If you remember a little dive meat and three restaurant called the #CoffeeShop on #EllistonPlace in Nashville, then the odds are that you have been around here for awhile.  The Coffee Shop was a business that was once located at the same site of what has long since become better known as The Gold Rush.  #TheGoldRush itself is a longstanding institution of socializing over bean rolls and beer or your favorite mixed drink.  So, if I say that I was here in #Nashville and that my mother was once a #waitress at the Coffee Shop prior to its glory days as The Gold Rush, you can safely assume that yes, I have been in Nashville for infinity it would seem.  

I can remember my beautiful mother Margie in her white waitress uniform with her auburn colored hair, in her white waitress shoes with her hair often swept up in a fashionable do for women her age.  I can remember her penciled on eyebrows and her Raleigh cigarettes.  I can remember Mr. Anthony's Jewelry Store which was on the block, a few doors down from the Coffee Shop.  Just talking about those times elicits a sigh of nostalgia from me.  

I can remember when on Friday nights The Gold Rush was THE place to be.  You never knew what visiting celebrity from L.A. who had come to Nashville to collaborate on songwriting or to visit a recording studio would be in the Rush that night.  You never knew when you might just get invited to a showcase or to some artist's debut.  While it has been many years since I was hanging out at the Gold Rush, I can't help but wonder at this stage of earth-shaking and ground breaking growth in Nashville, who else might remember the time when the elements of Nashville that made it so inviting to everyone were still evident.

I still remember when one could walk safely down the sidewalks in the afternoons as children and on any neighborhood front porch steps you could see and hear the guitar pickers hanging out and just having fun.  They were not all here in the hopes of attaining fame and fortune because of their talents...they just were.  In other words, the talent was enjoyed and shared simply for the pure joy of it.  

The memories go on for a lifetime.  I couldn't possibly begin to share them all in this one post.  But, here is one more I will share at this time.  The site of the construction dig at the top of this page used to be a small church.  I attended there for awhile when I was married with two small children.  This was Bellevue Grace Assembly Church once upon a time.  I can only guess that it will now possibly become the home to more condos, of which Bellevue now has a plethora.  I took the photo while out for a stroll with my friend Hannah one day. The impact of how much things are changing and how rapidly they are changing in what was once a small, friendly colony of artists hit me like a ton of bricks.  I have obscured the name of the manufacturing giant on the tractors simply to avoid any possibility of liability, but I'm sure you know who they are.

Change is inevitable in the world today.  But with change, does a society also have to lose its soul?  Those of us who have been in Nashville most of our lives certainly would hate to see that happen to Nashville, and let's hope it's not already happening.

The World According to Pam

Happy Thursday!  It has been a few days since I first wrote about wanting to create this new blog.  I have done so on the recommendation of some very good friends who have faith that perhaps by lucky chance or circumstance, I will have something of interest to write about.  I would, once again, like to thank those friends (and you know who you are), that have encouraged me to do so.

As I sat back and briefly viewed the news this evening, I was amazed!  Nowadays it's difficult to find something that is actually surprising in the news.  It is not because there are not serious events which unfold before us everyday--there are.  Perhaps it's difficult to be surprised because we have become desensitized.  Yes, I made that rhyme, and you're welcome!  And while it was not surprising that our government is now saying that China has hacked into practically every government agency's computers, it is still amazing to me that I can sit back and watch the world unraveling before my eyes.  And still we Americans seem content to sit back on our haunches and twiddle our thumbs as if nothing is happening.  And, granted, it is difficult to always know when we have heard the truth and when we have heard a spin on an event that is crafted by the media or politics. But, even I don't have much doubt that China has finally broken through and gained access to government secrets, names and identities.  So, why are we, America, supposedly the greatest nation on earth, sitting ducks for cyberattacks from China?  Did we fall asleep at the wheel?  I would venture a guess and say, "YES!"  But, how and when did we fall so short of being able to protect ourselves from our enemies?

In a series of postings, I would like to explore what is going on in our society and in the world, and how things are changing.  I thought about those changes as I looked on the Facebook page which is dedicated to the memories of this part of town known as West Nashville.  West Nashville has long been a very happening area of Nashville.  We have Music Row, Vanderbilt University, Belmont University, and David Lipscomb University, to name a few institutions and locations, all in the West part of town.  Looking at the pictures of what used to be, and knowing how drastically Nashville has changed, brought about an overwhelming sense of nostalgia.

Yes, progress is inevitable in a society, but for a moment, please stop and ask yourself at what price is progress bought.  As a society, what have we given up and what have we gained?  I will close with this one thought for today, and it was one of the few wise things my father ever said to me, "When you consider your career and success, you need to weigh the sacrifices and the benefits and decide which is greater."

Photo by Pam Serna

Author's note:  This is another retro article I wrote.  I think this is the last of the pieces I had written that I apparently, it looks like, did not publish at the time I wrote it.  If I'm wrong and this has already been posted before...OOPS!!

"GREAT GOOGLY-MOOGLY!"  I just looked up this expression in the Urban Dictionary.  The expression was made popular by Frank Zappa, but for some reason unknown to myself, I thought it was another southernism.  I use it as an expression of great surprise, which I think is the manner in which it was intended to be used.  So, basically I just used "Great googly-moogly" to get your attention.

Well, I began a blog months and months ago.  I was so caught up in schoolwork that I didn't really have the time to blog on a regular basis.  Not much has changed, except that I am currently not working.  I have joined the growing ranks of the unemployed in the United States, even though I am still working on my master's degree in public administration.  I figure I should complete the classes in time to retire and do part-time adjunct work somewhere.  That doesn't exactly sound like the American dream now, does it?  I may possibly share more about those circumstances I find myself in at a later date.

While I enjoy writing as an outlet, I feel that perhaps from time to time, I may actually have something that could accidentally be of interest to someone.

So, what's worth writing about?  Oh, except for the fact the world is rapidly spiraling out of control...NOT MUCH!!!  I would like to touch on some social and political issues from time to time, possibly even personal issues.  Politics is always a sensitive issue, and especially in this day and time. So, if I blog something which you don't agree with, just remember...THIS IS AMERICA, AND YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO YOUR OPINION!  I will have to get some much needed sleep tonight, then my mind will hopefully be fresh enough to think of some things to post which could hopefully be thought provoking...or, my thoughts could provoke you to simply say...."So what??!!"

References

1.  http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=great+googly+moogly