No, not the mentally insane kind of flashbacks, just a return to what I knew before, even if it was only ten hours long.
Yet I almost chose to waste another holiday as I did not feel motivated enough to get out of bed. That is, until my aunt called and said she was marching in the Wyandotte July 4th parade. I figured, why not, since it's been since 1995 that I saw a parade down there. Plus, I was encouraged by my father (Hi Dad) to get some photos, and I got the camera fixed.
Voila, motivation!
The last time I honestly was a spectator at a parade was probably 1970-something. For six years I marched in it with a drum corps I was a member of. Point is, I had forgotten how long the parade actually was, since it's one of Michigan's biggest. It was 127 units long, and you guessed it, my aunt was in unit 126. Nonetheless, I had fun in spite of the high humidity, and saw some other people I hadn't seen there in years. It is always fun to come back to your old stomping grounds and see what's changed and what's remained the same. The changes shock me until I realize I don't visit my old haunts more than three times a year, and then only for a glancing look - not a three-hour stay. Immediately, I was feeling "at home" again.
From there, I took a trip to my cousin's house three miles down despite my not feeling well. Thankfully, they had air conditioning running, and I was able to check on the progress of their complete house renovation, which has taken nearly five years. They are making progress and are doing much of the work themselves. My two youngest cousins hardly know me, but they were in a good mood nonetheless and it made the whole trip worthwhile.
My first square meal in eons came next, followed by just my fourth trip to a movie theater this decade. I ended up seeing "Superman Returns", which I wasn't too kind to in this space initially. I was wrong: there was no 21st-century romance plot involved and the movie tried to be true to the four chapters which preceded it. Without giving away details, it was easily the darkest of the movies, the longest, and sometimes the most puzzling. It didn't have a conclusive ending, which bodes well for the sequel. Christopher Reeve is still the Superman actor to me, but it wasn't all bad. I'll comment more when it's on DVD so not to spoil it for those who want to see it. It definitely wasn't all thumbs-down.
I visited my mom's gravesite and had to pull a lot of weeds out, since they don't seem to take care of things down there like they used to. A trip past the house I spent 21 years in wrapped up the trip, and thirty-five photos later, I was back home, exhausted but finally satisfied that a day of mine was so productive & pleasing.
Thomas Wolfe always said you can't go home again. But I say you can always visit. Seeing these people, places & events were very pleasant flashbacks for me, reminding me of a happier time in life.
Sometimes, all it takes is proper motivation.
