I was sitting at Starbucks with a very good friend of decades enjoying a nice conversation and a cup of coffee. The story was very enticing and intriguing. My hands were in the air, my voice was loud, my friend was listening to me without a word when I said, "Yesterday..." All of a sudden there was a voice that repeated my 'yesterday', but in a more melodic, softer tone. I knew that tone. I looked at my friend's lips. They were not moving. I looked beyond the visible and commanding barriers of Starbucks. There was an older man in shabby clothes and a homemade walking stick. But he was wearing the most genuine smile ever which made him a beautiful, almost angelic person! I knew that melody he was repeating my 'yesterday' with so I made a quick decision to finish it for him and with him. We both sang,"Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away..." His lyrics was more guessed and mumbled, mine more pronounced. How could I ever forget this song. I sang it about a million times when teaching in Japan. You see, before any English class starts in Japan, students sing a song to practice and listen to how English words sound. I think it is a great idea especially that it gives the students a bit of a culture dimension as well. But why does it have to be The Beatles song so often? I don't know. I remember singing Back Street Boys, Lady Gaga, Katie Perry, Stevie Wonder, The Carpenters, Mike Oldfield and Maggie Reilly. Yes! The good old times. It was fun when my partner in crime, creme de la creme ATL, my bestie and a co-worker, and I tried to reenact the meanings with our body language. I remember those teenagers getting a kick out of it. Good old times!
Kawase Festival, 2013
The man on the outside smiled in surprise that I knew. He stopped, leaned on the fence and began a friendly conversation. It was not about the politics, the money or rather the luck of it, the weather, Donald Trump or like. He went full throttle, "Which of The Beatles is the best, my ladies?" Yikes, the man asked a hard question but we tried to tackle it anyway. My friend went with forever cute Ringo. I chose George Harrison for his Electric Light Orchestra and Traveling Wilburys work. But the man didn't not appreciate our originality. He made it clear that the best one of them, in his mind was undisputedly, the one and only, John Lennon.
My Daily Photography, Brickworks, October 2017
People don't talk about what is important anymore! We waste time on discussions about others and things that have very limited meaning to us. But what is ours, our feelings, opinions are being neglected. This conversation was such a nice break. I feel hoisted back to what is true and real. All thanks to this old man, and my loud and accidental 'yesterday'. I wish you all a lot of moments like that, my dear friends! Have a Happy Monday!
1 comment:
I like the fourth one. He seems to be left out :).
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