Miriam,
Fortunately, so far, I'm able to live in "the now".
During our 25 years working with older blind and low vision clients,
we came across a large percentage who lived in the past, or grieved
the loss of their youth.
For my way of thinking, living in the past or grieving the loss of
youth interferes with my experience of life. Sure, getting old does
limit many of our once youthful activities, but there is so much to be
learned through living life in our older years.
For example, my lower back limits how long I can do physical tasks.
I've learned to work about an hour, then rest for at least an hour
before repeating the process. With very poor balance, I no longer
clean gutters or dust top shelves while standing on a shakey chair.
My 3 mile daily walks have been reduced to strolling back and forth on
our 100 foot long deck. About ten round trips two or three times most
days.
The list goes on and on, but what I'm trying to say is that if we want
to get the most out of our lives, then we need to be both creative and
flexible. It also helps to tackle new adventures from time to time.
Carl Jarvis
On 6/7/21, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Carl,
I kept quiet when I read the interchange between Roger and you about the
lyrics, but I was tempted to respond that I suspected that it would be too
difficult for you to hear the lyrics to the song he suggested because at our
age, hearing lyrics is more difficult, and especially to certain kinds of
music. I'm using hearing aids but although they are helpful in certain
situations, there are some things that they don't help with. Unfamiliar
lyrics, particularly to the kind of music popular starting in the eighties,
is one of those situations.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Monday, June 7, 2021 1:03 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Carl, a Led Zeppelin song you might like.
Roger,
I listened to the song twice, and I confirmed what I was afraid has
happened. While I still seem to hear normal conversation, my hearing has
changed to the point that the music garbles the lyrics. The only clear
words I got came at the very end, "And she's buying the stairway to
heaven".
I used to have above average hearing, but in some situations where multiple
sounds mix together, I'm having a difficult time following one thread. I'll
need to find a link that takes me to just the lyrics before I can comment on
them.
Along with living 86 years comes this darned thing called "The Aging
Process", a nice way of saying that our parts are wearing out. When we
first bought our get away cabin out here in the Wilds of the Great Olympic
Peninsula in 1987, I could stand on the deck and hear what sounded like a
sizzling. It was very faint, and in the city it was not even noticeable.
Today, some 34 years later, the sizzle has grown to the point that it is
always noticeable. Many little changes keep showing up. While we felt that
we were forcced to retire a year earlier than we had planned, I can't
imagine that I would be an encouraging sight to an older, newly blind client
watching me hobble up to their door. Remember, most blind folks have
varying degrees of
useful vision. As my dear old neighbor used to tell me when I asked
her how she was doing, "My get up and go has got up and went."
Carl Jarvis
On 6/7/21, Carl Jarvis <carjar82@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Thanks for the comments and suggestions, Roger.
I do use You Tube for lots of off-beat music. Paul Robeson for
example. One of my personal human rights heroes, as well as the
greatest baritone ever.
I have a shelf above my computer that holds about 120 CD's. Most of
them have only been played once. Collecting them over several years
seemed like a good idea, but playing them while working became too
distracting. Pulling up You Tube is easier when I take a break and
relax.
I'll let you know any thoughts next time I listen to Led Zeppelin and
the lyrics to Stairway to Heaven.
Carl Jarvis
On 6/6/21, Roger Loran Bailey <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Carl, you really ought to listen to the lyrics. It is disdainful of
the woman who thinks all that glitters is gold and her temerity at
trying to buy the stairway to heaven. All of that seems to mesh with
the kind of things you habitually say. As for buying it, frankly, I
haven't been willing to actually pay for music since I was a
teenager. Anyway, even if I did have any lingering lust for paying for
music I don't need to.
Just like I was able to call up this one by typing in a very few
search terms I can call up pretty much any other piece of music I
might want to hear. You can too. Just go to You Tube and enter the
name and band name of your choice and in short order you will be
hearing that big band music you like. There are other choices too.
Even though I knew about it I had not really listened to much death
metal music until I downloaded the Tapin radio software for free. I
did a search there and found several death metal stations that play
around the clock with no commercials. I found out that I rather like
death metal. Now I can find the same stations on my Victor reader.
And, oh, I think I can just about guarantee that you wouldn't like
any examples of death metal. Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath are really
tame in comparison.
___
Irvin D. Yalom “Truth," Nietzsche continued, "is arrived at through
disbelief and skepticism, not through a childlike wishing something
were so! Your patient's wish to be in God's hands is not truth. It is
simply a child's wish—and nothing more! It is a wish not to die, a
wish for the eveastingly bloated nipple we have labeled 'God'!
Evolutionary theory scientifically demonstrates God's
redundancy—though Darwin himself had not the courage to follow his
evidence to its true conclusion. Surely, you must realize that we
created God, and that all of us together now have killed him.” ―
Irvin D. Yalom, When Nietzsche Wept On 6/6/2021 5:23 PM, Carl Jarvis
wrote:
You're right, Roger. While I am not a fan of the lead singer, the
overall effect is soothing. And they don't become frantic at the end.
Some groups just can't help themselves. They create a soothing
sound that flows through my Soul...and suddenly they go bananas. I
have to admit, I listened to the total effect, not the lyrics. And
the total effect was fine. So I browsed a number of Led Zeppelin
songs, and found that I would never pay for any Led Zeppelin albums.
The problem is within me. I grew up with the Big Band sound, and
went along with the goosey loosey music of the fifties. I was moved
by much of the creativeness of the sixties and seventies, but
struggled with Hip Hop and Grunge. And as far as Rap goes...it can
go. Write me a short poem telling me your troubles, but please
don't put it to music and snarl out the lyrics over and over and
over...
Actually there is not much music that I don't care for. I enjoy
Country, especially the older forties and fifties, and I love
Classical...excluding Chamber Music, and most Jazz except the stuff
that goes piddling around and wanders off in four directions at once.
Did I forget Blue Grass? There's just not much I don't like. But
if it jars my nerves...well that's not music to me.
But thanks for showing me that even a group that I have avoided,
even they have some redeeming grace.
Carl Jarvis
On 6/5/21, Roger Loran Bailey <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Carl, okay, you didn't like Dazed and Confused. I am pretty sure
you probably would not like much else that Led Zeppelin ever did
either.
However, there is one Led Zeppelin song that I think you just might
like. I said that I had never paid attention to the words in Dazed
and Confused before, but in this one the words are so clear and so
out front that it would be difficult to listen to it without paying
attention to it. Furthermore I think you just might be in agreement
with the sentiments expressed in this one. It is certainly
disdainful of greed and privilege. It is Stairway to Heaven. Let me
know if you do like this one from Led Zeppelin:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkF3oxziUI4
--
Irvin D. Yalom “Truth," Nietzsche continued, "is arrived at through
disbelief and skepticism, not through a childlike wishing something
were so! Your patient's wish to be in God's hands is not truth. It
is simply a child's wish—and nothing more! It is a wish not to die,
a wish for the eveastingly bloated nipple we have labeled 'God'!
Evolutionary theory scientifically demonstrates God's
redundancy—though Darwin himself had not the courage to follow his
evidence to its true conclusion. Surely, you must realize that we
created God, and that all of us together now have killed him.” ―
Irvin D. Yalom, When Nietzsche Wept