And My World Keeps Getting Larger Every Day...!

 In 1970 it was just about the time that I started having a world view and began my journey to seriously consider, people, places and ideas outside my backyard and comfort zone... it was the same year that Neil Sadaka and Howard Greenfield wrote a song for Eydie Gorme called "My World Keeps Getting Smaller Every Day"... it became a hit for Miss Gorme and a few other people recorded it including Neil Sedaka and me for an audition demo tape once... my favorite version was done by Carmen Soriano... it's not really right to call it a song because it is a ballad... the difference is that a ballad is a song or poem that narrates a story in stanzas and is usually sentimental and/or romantic.... Some of the most remembered numbers from Broadway musicals are ballads that include "Don't Rain On My Parade" from "Funny Girl" and "And I'm Telling You" from "Dream Girls"... but I'm getting off track... in 1970 when my world was really starting to take off and grow a lot of peoples worlds were starting to get smaller  like Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme's because the entertainment world was changing and evolving and they did not have the same routines they were accustomed to in New York and Los Angeles in various club venues or television shows like 'The Ed Sullivan Show" to perform and tp promote their acts... there was still the "Tonight Show" and the various  variety show venues that filled in this gap for a few more years... but by 1980 many people who were once headlining in Las Vegas or leaders in the box office or record sales were facing a cold reality of becoming extinct and/or obsolete... I was happy to meet Steve & Eydie in the mid 70's and they were still headlining their show and lived with the constraints of changing times and tastes... they did what they had to do and they were gracious and charming...

They never did reinvent themselves like so many other people had to do to survive... but I'm sure they paid the price for it... but it never showed at least not to me during my short stint of living and working in Las Vegas and knowing them... to tell you the truth it really took me a long time to fully understand this song and appreciate what it had to say because as I said I was spreading my wings and happy that my world was expanding and it was becoming a small world not becoming smaller, there is a big difference... I think that is why most people find retirement confining and tedious.  One of the most important discoveries I made around this time  is that it's necessary to take stock of yourself and inventory your accomplishments and goals at least every five years or so to make necessary adjustments and acquire the  tools and skills you will need down the road.

During my brief but fun filled adventures of working as a flight attendant I remember the airline had a logo that went something like... "Our flight attendants know their way around the world better than most people know their way around the block"... it's nothing like it is today... and at the time it was the only job that I could get fresh out of college that gave me the freedom and flexibility to pursue  my interests in the entertainment industry... but looking back I learned a lot about the world, myself and other people and their experiences and viewpoints.

Would I do it all again? Nope... not a chance... especially the way it is now (I thought people were pigs then... I would be in prison for murder the way people act on aircraft now) Maybe it was the world then or maybe the way I saw it but the major difference is that people were able to put race and class issues aside better than they do now... at least during a long flight... that's the reason it's important to be honest with yourself and have the flexibility to reinvent yourself and find new pathways to happiness and success!... I remember someone saying to me in the middle of all this... "The world is a book, and people who don't travel only look at the cover  and speculate what it's all about"... I still feel that way, especially about people who don't travel...

If I were to give any advice to anyone of any age... travel as much as you can for as long as you can, because life is not meant to be lived in one place... don't get me wrong it's wonderful to have that  place to come home to and reflect on your journey and about what you found and learned... but in terms of life being like a book... with time and experience you realize that turning the page and moving on is the best feeling and that the world has so much more to offer than the page you were stuck on.

I think the being more home bound and not even being able to consider making any plans plans for adventure and travel has been one of the more difficult things about the covid-19 way of life in the last year and for a lot of people their world got smaller and they are going to have a more difficult time finding their way out of it ... but from my experiences since this all started  I've realized that I'm not the same person I was a year ago... and that is one of the most important parts of reinventing yourself and moving forward... I've had to consider also that different eyes see different things... by this I mean  that I have known a number of people who see the world through damaged eyes and became who they are a result of their experiences and history... but I don't have allow their view to tarnish and/or diminish mine... one of the major things that I've focused on is paying attention  to myself and those I am going to allow access to my life when we get to open the door to the world again...it was a hard and difficult lesson to learn that  not everyone you thought was, is actually your friend...just because they hang around with you and laugh during the good times does not make a real friend... I've had to learn that people pretend well especially if they need something from a fake friendship... at the end of the day real situations expose fake friendships so pay attention to the fact that nice is not the same as good and charming is not the same as sincere.

So with all of that... the view of the world and my present and future participation and contributions to it keep getting bigger every day...

 

So having said that... from this point on I'm not taking any prisoners anymore and I'm not going to be nice just because of your comfort level... I'll still be nice but I expect the same things in return that I've  given... otherwise you are not going to like the new reinvented and evolved me at all... ( I have a gun and know how to use it... so before I get a lot of hate email... this clip is a metaphor and not a threat that should prompt you to call the FBI)

Oh and one more thing to for you to consider...Why are we taught to be afraid of the witches and not the people who wanted to burn someone alive just because they were different and did not fit in perfectly?

See you next time! Me ke aloha!