A Time When Things Were Different

With the Corona Virus, none of us are traveling, but that doesn't hold us back from a little time travel!

Rich and Skip in the early days!

​by Skip Cohen

This is a short post.  At a time when life's upside down for ALL of us, one event this morning brought a smile to my face and a reminder of how precious those memories in our life can be.

At 6:30 am this morning, my phone rang. Startled out of my last minutes of sleep, I almost fell out of bed, trying to answer it. Then I burst out laughing - it was my college roommate, Rich, wishing me Happy St. Patrick's Day.

The year was 1968, St. Patrick's Day - Rich and I decided to celebrate. Neither of us had ever been drunk before and true to the stupidity of most first-year college students, we felt we were ready for the task. We started drinking green beer at 7:00 am at the Purity, in Oxford, Ohio. 

By 8:30 am, we were a mess, but the bar was packed, and we weren't going to slow down. Rich had a big half-gallon Viking-looking tankard he'd gotten as a high school graduation gift, and when people got up to dance, we'd grab what was left of their beers and pour them into his tankard. We were able to continue our binge with minimal spending! 

Around 11:00 am our friends came to drag us out and safely get us back to the dorm. The rest of the day was ugly. Rich and I each grabbed a stall in the men's room and "drove the porcelain bus!"

Here's my point - this is an awful time in history for all of us. The virus has us second-guessing if we've washed our hands enough or been in contact with anybody infected with Covid-19. We've all developed a level of necessary agoraphobia, but nothing can take away our memories. And, with those memories as photographers, that skillset all of you have will come back in demand, once the crisis subsides.

For a few minutes this morning, I forgot everything we're dealing with right now. So, I'm giving all of you a challenge - Give yourself a break today and pick up the phone and call somebody from your past. Pick a long lost memory that makes you smile, and then go for it.

Rich and I have talked every morning on St. Patrick's Day for fifty-two years, each year trying to see who remembers to call the other first. I think I've only won 2-3 times, but I'm already looking forward to 2021!

And to Rich - sure do love ya buddy!

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