Memories
 In
recent months, my father has waxed nostalgic,
scanning and sending photos to the rest of the
family in a daily email entitled "Memories" (I
might have suggested "The Other Daily Strick"). The
images have ranged from vintage photos of my
ancestors to pictures from recent family
get-togethers. It's been a daily treat seeing what
new memory from our family's diverse history he
digs up.
Just a couple of days ago, he sent the picture
you see displayed here. As I mentioned in a
previous column, zoology
was my first passion. From almost as early as I can
remember, I wanted to study monkeys and apes "when
I grew up." Thus, it was quite a treat when we
visited Marriott's Great America theme park and got
a behind-the-scenes tour of one of the animal
shows. My cousins performed with dolphins and this
chimpanzee, and introduced me to the animals during
our visit. It was a heady experience for a young
boy with apes on the brain.
Having since "grown up," I sometimes look back
on the zigzag of my career path and see the road
not taken that led to the African bush. Do I have
regrets? Sure. Does everyone have regrets from time
to time? Probably. Regret and nostalgia walk hand
in hand. It's difficult not to look back and wonder
"what if."
Each decision we make, each step we take in
life, sets us off on a new course in the vast web
of destiny that we create from birth to death.
Infinite possibilities exist between those two
points. It can be simultaneously fascinating and
disheartening to contemplate the countless courses
one's life could have taken—and yet may
take.
©2003 Michael
Strickland ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED
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What is "The Daily Strick"?
I have long called
myself a writer, but too often I don't do
what a writer must do daily: write. So
you, dear reader, are the beneficiary of
my resolution to make a positive change in
at least one area of my life. Every single
day of this new year (almost), I will
write something, anything, and post it
here. It is my intention to use this daily
exercise to jump-start my too-long-dormant
creative energies, and perhaps generate
some worthwhile material this year.
Hopefully you will find at least an
occasional amusement or insight in my
daily musings.
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a Comment
July Columns:
7/21: Hiatus
7/17: Death Ship
7/16: The Da Vinci Code
7/15: Bad Moon Rising
7/14: Adios, Compay
7/13: Ty Odeh
7/10: Muse
7/6: Memories
7/4: On the Road Again
7/3: Onion Valley
7/2: Happy Independence Day
Previous months in The Archive
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