CHANGE

 AUTHOR'S NOTE: The topics of my blog will switch back and forth probably between changes going on in Nashville and the current political climate of the country.  So, if you hate my political posts, please don't go away, as there will always be more about Nashville to write about soon.

I wrote this blog obviously several months ago and thought I had published here in Google.  Apparently, I never did, as here it sits in my drafts.  So, having given that little bit of introduction, I will now share this retroactive article.


There is an old saying, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."  Well, old adages don't necessarily ring true in every situation of life, but they do for many.  While it is understandable the amount of hype, rancor and anger that have been expressed by every side in this year's election cycle, it's sad that violence has erupted in numerous situations.  Finger pointing and blame are in abundance over incidents where unfortunately, individuals have been hurt and violence has entered the scene.

And yet, it was very interesting last night to watch CNN's "The Race to the White House" and to realize that apparently the KKK came out in protest against President Kennedy when he ran for office.  Many Americans were frightened to contemplate the possibility of having a Catholic in the White House. So, it didn't sound to me exactly like it was an election that was fought without some serious politicking and change going on.

Many Americans see Donald Trump as a threat to what they have come to know.  Well, what some people don't get is that what they have come to know is nothing more than the acceptance that we have been living in dystopian times already.  Dystopian times are when corporations and governments have run amuck and are basically mad with power.  The standard of living in this day and time for many, believe it or not, is not as good as what they may have had decades ago.

So, what does change look like to you?  Will it be maintaining the status quo?  Will it be free healthcare for all, provided for and paid for by government via taxpayer dollars?  Will it be seeing our children's children have to leave our country and travel to China or Mexico to find a job which will pay half of what we now make?

Regardless of who you vote for, we must all realize that these men and women, who are mortal like the rest of us, are exactly that...mortal, which also indicates they are flawed, as are we.  We have a way to go before we know exactly who will be our next President, and I urge everyone to thoughtfully pray about who that person will be.  Pray, then get out there and vote!

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.