Connections

     It seems that the geezer years bring into your life long past connections that you have not thought about for years.  Sometimes these connections can bring pleasant things and other times they can be sad events evoking a variety of emotions.

    A few days ago I ran across an obituary of a long forgotten acquaintance who had moved from my area of residence many years ago.   He was a star in his field of endeavor and had a glorious career at Cornell.  I met him in the 1950's when he was a new Assistant Professor on the fast track.  I followed the stories of his career for a long time but over the last 10 years or so had no interaction.  He had the good fortune to keep going to nearly 96 years of age.  I guess all good things come to an end.   But it was still sad to read about his demise.

    Yesterday, I met with a friend from the time we were both studying agricultural engineering at Cornell 1953 to 1957.  He graduated in 1956 and I was the class of 1957.  I hadn't seen him face to face since 1957.  We went our separate ways and really never had a chance to meet in all those years.  It was remarkable that we still had a lot of things to share about the intervening years.  We both had both triumphs and tragedies to share as we did some catching up.  I guess it was a pleasure but reminiscing has its limits.  After an hour of listening to his companion,  I was ready to move on!

    Continuing in the vein of connection, there is the work of mathematician Steve Strogatz and his Ph.D. student who pioneered theories of degrees of separation of people or perhaps the degrees of connection.   Apparently we all are about five degrees of separation from all the people on the planet.  I can believe that when I get friend requests on FaceBook.  When I explore those requests and examine the mutual friends I can see how the chain will spin out if I  accept those requests.   

    In summary there has to be a lesson here.   We do not live in isolation. We are a connected species and it behooves us to be kind to one another.  Perhaps we can find hope in humankind if we can believe that the kindness we extend even to the stranger can spread throughout the world!

Cycle of Life

     Friday I attended the graduation of grandson Cole from RIT.   A delight to see this young man launched into the world with a good education and opportunities galore.  Delighted that he already has a great job with a company building components for the next space telescope.  A wonderful opportunity to contribute to exploration of the universe and perhaps a metaphor for the explorations he will do in his life.   Sixty six years ago when I graduated in 1957 from Cornell University we were in the early stages of the space age.  Sputnik had not yet been launched but was soon to enter the scene to spur the competitive spirits of USA and USSR.

    So it is with the generations in the cycle of life.   We accomplish milestones in our cycle of life that keeps repeating itself century by century.   I can only speculate what the next 66 years might bring for Cole.   Just as my life has had  ups and downs, I am sure he will have both successes and failures.   However, whatever happens he will be a participant in the cycle of life contributing his piece to humankind's survival and progress.  The world turns and we make our mark in it in our own way.  Let's hope we end up contributing to the greater good.  

What to Keep?

     Now that ski season is over, I am spending more time at my Cornell office dealing with archiving papers accumulated from 1958 to present, during my active and emeritus years as an academic.  I think it must be a built in characteristic of humans to save items that are meaningful (or maybe not) in our lives. The items we accumulate can have both physical implications as well as relational aspects.   The physical and the relational usually become intertwined in intricate ways.

    In the ski world, I have found it hard to dispose of obsolete skis that I used for many years.  These antiques have memories embedded in their structures.  However, in the last few years I have taken the bold step to pare down to one pair of skis!  This fits with the minimalist life style my wife and I try to maintain.  If it hasn't been used for a long time, it is appropriate to pass it on to someone who might have a use for it.  I notice that as time passes stuff does build up in spite of our zealous disposal lifestyle.   Decisions in this realm area are easier than in the relational element.

    Here is a thought about sentimental items in the realm of correspondence   involving our human relationships.  How many old greeting cards should one keep?   If you have what my family calls an appreciation file, do you really have to keep everything or is just a sample sufficient?  

    Now I will go  back to the office files I already mentioned.   I had not reviewed my saved correspondence with a multitude of contacts over about 62 plus years!  As I began to go through the files I was led down innumerable memory paths!   The reminders in the files ranged all over the place.   There were numerous notes from former students that warmed my heart to hear of their joys, successes and sometimes troubles.  Significant milestones were highlighted in the saved papers.   Some of the predictions of future events jumped out to me with the realization that many of them had come true.   The question then arose- were they significant enough to preserve for history?  I could go on at length in this vein but will not.   My concluding point is that all of us one time or another have to decide what to keep and what to throw away.   There is even a biblical admonition about this in Ecclesiastes.  There are times to gather and times to throw away.  We need the wisdom of Solomon to know the difference.

Dregs of the Ski Season

       Here we are past the middle of April and bits of snow keep hanging around at some many ski areas in the east.  I still receive multiple postings on Facebook of adventures still being had on the slopes.  Corn snow is the surface and many a fine run can be achieved.   In Utah my son, granddaughter and daughter-in-law just posted some awesome pictures of skiing at Alta and Snowbasin!    Days in the sun slicing through great corn snow!  How long is this transition going to last?  Who knows?

    Although the dregs of the season are still out there to tempt many folks to keep going on the slopes, I have made the transition to summer/spring activities  Even mowed the lawn this past Sunday.   Recently took my first E-bike ride of the season and I am contemplating getting on the tennis court as soon as some warm weather returns.  My data base for my skiing activities has been brought up to date and is filed away.  Although skiing can dominate my thinking during the season, when it is over I find myself ready for other adventures.   

    Time to plan some hiking trips and perhaps some new travel.

     

Birthday Musings

    Today I am celebrating my 88th birthday.   Truly I qualify as a geezer by some measurements and certainly can embrace identification as a Tough Old Geezer Skier at the end of the 2022-23 season.  Thankfully, I have more or less enjoyed 74 days on the slopes enduring a variety of conditions from Bluebird Days to entirely miserable rainy and sleety days as well.  

    I am glowing from a plethora of well wishes form friends and family in multiple forms including US Mail, texting, phone calls and Facebooks postings.  You can forget about Twitter in my universe.  I am at my limit of apps for connection.

    I am musing about my generation in relation to the changes in our society as the decades have progressed.  The most recent shooting in a Kentucky bank shakes me to the core.  It seems our country has gone off the rails regarding compassion and civility for our human companions.  I grew up in a hunting culture!  We didn't need assault weapons to hunt squirrels, rabbits and pheasant.   We didn't need to be armed to go to the store or visit with our neighbors.  In my universe a sidearm was totally unnecessary.   When will this current idiocy end?   When my grandchildren and great grandchildren turn 88 will there be a country that honors human life to the extent it will curb the instincts to destroy?  

    On a more positive note even though I see the deterioration in civility in society, I still see signs of hope.  Each day can be an opportunity to serve.  The support one gets from a whole spectrum of acquaintances, friends and family on a birthday is heartwarming.  Rather than lamenting the decline of good manners I find comfort in living each day to fullest and strive to be a positive force wherever I am.

 

Legendary Figures

     Legendary figures do not always come in the form of famous people.  Many of our friends and neighbors need to be honored as legendary figures as well.  Today I was jolted by seeing the death notice of one of my long time ski partners and friend.  Even though he was into his early nineties, it was a blow to note his passing.  

    Allen Bushnell was a brilliant man.  He became a noted designer and taught at Cornell University for many years.  He could design and make jewelry, do water colors and create interior designs for senior living as well as suggest pedestrian communities.  

    I had the pleasure and challenge of being a friend and companion after he retired and became a member of our Tough Old Geezer Skiers group at Greek Peak Mountain Resort.   Allen was a World War II veteran having served in the United States Navy.  He was just a youngster at the time of his service.  His artistic talent was recognized by a superior officer and ended up giving him an opportunity in his duties to create art to be painted on some ship items.

    Allen was a Ski jumper in the days when you packed your own hill and jumped out onto a frozen lake.  His tales of crashes and successes in this endeavor were thrilling and disturbing.

    Up until a few years ago Allen was a regular on the ski slope at Greek Peak.  He was an accomplished and aggressive skiers up to almost the end of his active days.  Regrettably as he approached his nineties balance became an issue and I can remember a few times in those latter days I was able to assist him recovering from a fall.

Although he has not been skiing for these last few years, all of us in the geezer crowd will not forget his presence.   I mourn his passing as I am sure many others of our group and certainly his family will do likewise.

God bless you my dear friend.  It was quite a ride and may you have eternally joyful ski runs for eternity.

Generations of Skiers

    I had a delightful call from my son yesterday.  Nice to have him checking up on me as he exited his ski area to drive home ahead of the traffic down Little Cottonwood Canyon highway in Utah.  As one might expect he is the second generation skier for our family although we all started together in 1968 at Greek Peak.   As you might expect he was a fast learner along with his siblings and moved on to PSIA certification and working as an instructor.  He lives the grand life of Utah skiing in his retirement! 

    By the time they were out of diapers his children were getting ski instruction and became expert skiers over the years.  One sisters  children likewise have become expert skiers.  On that note in my conversation with my son I caught up on the ski journeys of some of these grandchildren.  One of his daughters is now instructing weekends at Bristol Mountain.  There was also exciting news of a nephew and my grandchild competing in what I would call extreme skiing taking gut wrenching lines down the mountain.  Scares the pants off me to watch the videos of some of his runs.  Obviously I am a proud grandparent and am delighted to hear that he placed as high as third recently.   He is a big kid.  Well over six feet so he has a big frame to work with but it may be a lot to move around as he negotiates some really gnarly terrain.

    As the next generation moves on to marriage and family the new spouses have a lot of pressure to become skiers.    So far those that are continuing to ski have had the good fortune of willing spouses prepared to pick up the sport if they have not already done so.  Thus the generations continue to have a pattern to continue engagement.   I do wonder if they will ever become geezer skiers!  

    I suspect that skiing is only one example of how families carry on certain traditions.   In terms of sports it can be a variety of activities.   It may be golf, tennis, running or something else.   And beyond the recreational activities there can the serious endeavors of different careers.   I am an engineer and have seen this career choice passed on to several of the children I have parented.   A son and one daughter have already spawned three engineers.    As a former college advisor I distinctly recall many of my students who decided to go to medical school came from families with generations of physicians.  

    I would conclude that generational influence can be both a blessing and a curse.  It is a blessing when it gives opportunity but can be a curse to those who march to a different drummer.   I say let everyone find their own bliss and it need not be the family tradition.