Dan O’Connor: Been and gone

By the time you read these words, the year 2017 will have been and gone. Like last Sunday’s newspaper and yesterday’s old coffee grounds, been and gone. Recorded somewhere, scarcely remembered, of no great significance, past and done, soon forgotten, been and gone.

But it was so special, interesting and dramatic at the time. How could it just fade away into oblivion?

Well, my dear grasshopper, this is one of the tricks that time plays on us. What now is, soon will be was, and will be relegated to old news. Old and past are out of favor while young and new are always exciting and of keen interest. But they, too, last but a brief moment before they fade away with all the rest.

So then, you would think, our past should be an enormous museum of old buildings, bygone people, ancient battles and great dramatic historical scenes. Our past should be everywhere. But it’s not. Our universe should be stuffed full with this stuff, but you can only find it in history books and memories.

So where does it all go, you ask? Well, once it passes the point of here and now — guess what? It vanishes or dematerializes!

It’s a bit like the point of where the needle touches the record as it spins around. You hear the music at this particular point in time. You don’t hear past or future music. In other words, the past ceases to exist in solid form.

Some call it riding the wave, living in the moment and such. There are always new fashions, trends and breakthroughs.

There’s a couple of lines from an old song: “Where do the good times go? Where do the four winds blow?” Well, they go off into oblivion, I would say. So oblivion, if we can’t see it and can’t go there, then it must be another universe!

I myself have most always felt young and alive; riding the wave in the here and now and enjoying it, you could say. But now my body is getting old, grey and long in the tooth, on its way to been and gone. Still, each day is a new, special experience, something to treasure.

It’s a matter of creation, I figure. You decide on something you want and make it happen. As long as you continue to create it, it continues to exist. Stop or change your mind and it’s gone.

You can in a way revive the past. You can watch a play or movie of some great past event. But is that bringing back the past or creating it new again?

It appears to me that experiencing the drama and excitement of the present and soon to be is our spice of life. Adventure, communication, food, friendship and love — these things stoke up the enjoyment and sensation of being alive. So, it would seem, being alive would be living in the moment. And living in the moment could well be creating it!

A good actor, singer or performer creates the environment around them, brings it to life and makes it real for both himself and his audience. Also, when someone gains great notoriety it is said, “He’s getting his 15 minutes of fame.” These would be stellar examples of creating reality, bringing it into existence and continuing it.

So 2017 has been and gone but we’re still here to carry on. We can make 2018 bigger, better and brighter.

Well, dear reader, continue to ride the wave. Keep those balls in the air. Make it new, make it real, and enjoy. Don’t give up, slip and fall into oblivion.

Dan O’Connor, of Carson City, can be reached at danhughoconnor@gmail.com.