On this World Mental Health day, I was remembering an afternoon last week when we saw a double rainbow against a sky of broken clouds and sunlight. Later on that same drive, the Better Hall pointed out a flight of half a dozen or so swans over the harvested fields. Gray-white bodies against gray-white clouds was enough to make me believe in angels. Each of these delights was rare and ephemeral. I’m grateful for the sights and the memories.
I suspect there are many things in my life that are more common, and I take for granted, in part because I was raised to always want more and better. It was called “getting ahead” decades ago when I was in college. As near as I can tell, most folks were brought up to get ahead, but I don’t think that’s what Robert Zimmerman meant when he sang “he not busy being born is busy dying.”
For some reason, perhaps because I needed it, this morning the shuffle function on my Jeep’s music system kept playing Joan Baez singing one or another of Dylan’s older poems. Finally, as I went in to pay the second half property taxes for this year, she started to sing one of my most favoritist of Dylan’s songs. When I returned to the Jeep and headed for home, I punched the repeat button and listened to it all from start to finish. The lyrics are today’s poem. Think what a wonderful world we could live in if these wishes came true for each of US and our children and all the world’s children from now on. As Carrie Newcomer sings “We can do this hard thing.”
May you stay forever young
Forever YoungWritten by: Bob Dylan
May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young
May you grow up to be righteous
May you grow up to be true
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you
May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young
May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift
May your heart always be joyful
May your song always be sung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young
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