I dunno, Skyrider. That could be a lot of it, but I know that last year I knew it was the one year anniversary of my divorce and leaving TWI, but had some major things happen and upon talking about it with some professionals, found out that anniversaries CAN trigger things in us without us being aware that's what it is.
I can't/won't go into details on the boards, but suffice it to say, I thought I was going to implode and found out that the fact that it was the anniversary of those things could have been a major reason for why things happened like they did.
Not saying that's always the case, but it very well could be with some people - especially those who grew up going to ROA every year for many, many years.
Belle......yeah, I hear what you're saying about anniversaries/divorce/exiting twi as "triggering" emotions and bringing memories to the forefront. And, yeah......going to roa year after year does have that sort of
triggering effect on me as well. After all, I went to about 22 roa events during those years.
But.....aren't there "internal clocks" or triggering mechanisms for all sorts of things in life???
For instance.....I played all four years of high school football. Our high school was one of the best competitors in the state.....and my senior year, we won the state championship. We got the trophy, the headlines, the newspaper clippings, the notoriety, and the nostalgia. For years, every late October.....on a cool Friday Night, my mind relived that game.....that moment of sweetness.
Time stood still....whenever I was captivated in this nostalgia moment. And, it felt good. No....I didn't think about the months of pain, the workouts, the sweat of practices, the yelling from our coaches......nope. My mind was fixated on the excitement and comaraderie of a bunch of guys who won it all, at that level.
Are the early years of rock of ages like that for some.....??? Probably. Sweet moments of nostalgia and time stood still. And, that's the memory that some old-timers like to bask in. I understand it.
Don't we, as individuals, like to bask in moments of "being there"....at the apex of life?? A football championship.....a Beatles rock concert.......an unforgettable summer.......a special vacation........or those early rock of ages when we were the "building blocks of a spiritual movement?"
Once you get older, and "put away childish things", so to speak, life becomes bogged day into the everyday routine of living and responsibilty. That's just a natural part of growing up.
IMO, there is nothing wrong with having a look back at the younger days. We had more energy, more time, (less money). We were cynical about nothing except the older generation (now we are the older generation ).
Everything was fresh, everything was new, everything was exciting, and we were up for it. Doesn't matter if it was football, first loves, or dancing in a cornfield. It was a time for firsts, for accomplishments, for makng our best efforts, for discovery of things that would motivate us, for unlocking the doors of passions.
In looking back, knowing that I can't go back, I occasionally rediscover something of my younger days that gives me strength to move through today's days.
Sky you may have a point there,but on reflection I think it's really the people that I miss the most , it's not the drive or the camping the first years,or the hotel bills the last. Having everyone in one place made it possible to catch up on what distance and time keeps us away from.
Time stands still once again as we recall what we shared the last time we met. ROA, to me was all about the people. How have they grown from one year to the next. What adventures have they experienced.
And then continues from that last thread we remember. And when apart we piece it all together. We laugh, we cry, and remember. It brings distance apart to a stand still. Which gives us that warm fuzzy feeling. Or perhaps an adrenaline rush. Smiles appear where there may not have been in quite a while.. Isn't this life? The joy of being alive. Where ever we may be within our summer of fun, we are suppose to be there. As we get old we can chose what to remember that is important to us. Enjoy! and rejoice.
Sky you may have a point there,but on reflection I think it's really the people that I miss the most , it's not the drive or the camping the first years,or the hotel bills the last. Having everyone in one place made it possible to catch up on what distance and time keeps us away from.
Yeah, WD...."it's really the people that I miss the most." Life is like that.....the fun, the comaraderie, the teamwork, the accomplishments, the hanging out together. Nothing like good friends, good memories.
Nope, it wasn't the "holy grounds of twi"...or the daily teachings...or the believer's market food stand ...or the hot, lazy afternoons of looking for a shady spot......it was the people. The family tables were pretty cool, because it gave some the opportunity to share of their victories, their experiences, their songs.
To me........the ROA represented the sending forth and the homecoming of the WOW Ambassadors who dedicated a year of their lives to go forth and share His deliverance.
The rock of ages brought that set of friends, wow brothers & sisters, corps buddies and others into my life year after year. Sadly, by 1982......some of them were no longer associated with twi and were missed at these annual reunions. But as the roa became more structured (and herding around of people)......the dynamics of its fun and fellowship were lost anyway. And consequently, never regained.
Today.........I've reconnected with many of my ole buds through the INTERNET. :)
And, a few of them..........I've seen face to face. We travel to their city and spend a weekend.....then, they come and visit us. Oh, the sweetness of good friends.
No tent city for us anymore. We have the comfort of air-conditioning, refreshing drinks are served, restaurants aplenty, etc. etc. It doesn't get any better than this. And, the nostalgia of them "old roa gatherings".....lives on.
I don't know about internal clock but if you do something for 15 years or more in your life that is a lot of years of August coming around.
I go through the same thing. Every year at this time I think about how exciting it was to see people that I hadn't seen in a year or so. But its the early years that I miss the most. They were the most exciting.
Even when everyone is gearing to go travel on their motorcycles this time of year I remember Sturgis. Some day I will go out there and see old friends.
But.....aren't there "internal clocks" or triggering mechanisms for all sorts of things in life???
Its festival season, I went to one the last few days that I enjoyed as much if not more than any ROA I ever went to, In some ways it was similar (thousands of people camped on a farm in all sorts of different arrangements, seeing old friends , making new friends, heck we even had rain and mud but no one cared) The bonus was that it is only 10 miles from home and there were no teachings to listen to just very good world class folk music of all kinds--I go every year and it is a ball.-There was singing, dancing and laughing...and good clean opening up of the clogged ways
...It wasnt the ROA that was special--there is something about a gathering together of people away from the pressures of the world around any common interestthat rejuvenates and reinvigorates and reinspires people
There are still plenty to go to if anyone has a yearning for that sort of thing. I personally like one or two a year.
The night breezes are refreshing......staying up till 4 am was being part of the "in crowd." Heck, after a couple of mid-afternoon naps....I was good to go till dawn.
Singing, dancing, laughing.....not burdened by responsibilities. Oh, the joy of youth...!!!
All that stuff is still out there if you want it, Ive been dancin barefoot in the mud a good part of the day and got home at 2:45am , (caked in mud dancin, playing and singing til the wee hours- a good 1/2 of the people in the crowd were my age (51)doing the same so Im not the only one either. You dont have to be a serious adult all the time you know, once in awhile its good to drop the game for a few days and have some fun. I know for me its very healthy.....
Don't we, as individuals, like to bask in moments of "being there"....at the apex of life??
Heck yes, but why does it have to be in the past ---why cant it be today? Today is all we have to bask in, There was no golden moment "back there" that cant be bettered today
...It wasnt the ROA that was special--there is something about a gathering together of people away from the pressures of the world around any common interest that rejuvenates and reinvigorates and reinspires people There are still plenty to go to if anyone has a yearning for that sort of thing. I personally like one or two a year.
mstar....that's what I see, too. A common interest is the key factor to the experience.
Sounds like you found something there that's rejuvenating your soul, your life.
Heck yes, but why does it have to be in the past ---why cant it be today? Today is all we have to bask in, There was no golden moment "back there" that cant be bettered today
Sounds like the Blues Festival I went to every summer during my high school and college days, MStar! One year was sooooo muddy that all of us just gave up trying to keep clean and sat in the mud enjoying the music. Me and my friends were frequently the only white people there, pity. But everyone was colorblind at those festivals and KOOL always had a booth giving away free cigarettes.
Sounds like the Blues Festival I went to every summer during my high school and college days, MStar! One year was sooooo muddy that all of us just gave up trying to keep clean and sat in the mud enjoying the music.
I have way too much time to be an adult. Its good to feel 20 every once in awhile , or else redefine what i thought 50 was going to be, learn to enjoy it, and keep a little 'young' in me. My musical tastes have changed, I cant do loud for hours on end any more bu there are other styles that are conducive to who I am that I thoroughly enjoy. I think the mud and the rain actually bonded people into the common experience, if you are enjoying yourself, its not an annoyance just something thats part of it. The gospel hour this morning had 4 really good bands, by half way through just about everyone was singing and dancin -you couldnt help it it was infectious, ---about 5000 people enjoying sunday mornin' on the side of a hill.....beats TV or wishin for the 'old days'
I don't particularly miss the Millstone of the Millenium, and the internal clock left long ago. But, my daughter has mostly good memories of camping there when she was little, visiting the sprinklers, and going to the petting zoo with friends. We still find something very relaxing about listening to a gentle rain on the canvas roof of our gazebo.
I do find it funny remembering a particular ordination during a raging thunderstorm, I think around 1985. As I walked to the tent in the storm I couldn't believe they didnt just reschedule it. And right during the ordination ceremony itself, a huge section of the tent roof gave way, drenching a bunch of the candidates. Anybody remember that one? A baptism with your ordination, anyone?
In looking back, knowing that I can't go back, I occasionally rediscover something of my younger days that gives me strength to move through today's days.
Nuttin' wrong with that.....
For some reason,that strikes me as a very sound thing to do....
...It wasnt the ROA that was special--there is something about a gathering together of people away from the pressures of the world around any common interestthat rejuvenates and reinvigorates and reinspires people
There are still plenty to go to if anyone has a yearning for that sort of thing. I personally like one or two a year.
I find I prefer the get-togethers that happen in a hotel with air-conditioning,
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Belle
I dunno, Skyrider. That could be a lot of it, but I know that last year I knew it was the one year anniversary of my divorce and leaving TWI, but had some major things happen and upon talking about it with some professionals, found out that anniversaries CAN trigger things in us without us being aware that's what it is.
I can't/won't go into details on the boards, but suffice it to say, I thought I was going to implode and found out that the fact that it was the anniversary of those things could have been a major reason for why things happened like they did.
Not saying that's always the case, but it very well could be with some people - especially those who grew up going to ROA every year for many, many years.
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skyrider
Belle......yeah, I hear what you're saying about anniversaries/divorce/exiting twi as "triggering" emotions and bringing memories to the forefront. And, yeah......going to roa year after year does have that sort of
triggering effect on me as well. After all, I went to about 22 roa events during those years.
But.....aren't there "internal clocks" or triggering mechanisms for all sorts of things in life???
For instance.....I played all four years of high school football. Our high school was one of the best competitors in the state.....and my senior year, we won the state championship. We got the trophy, the headlines, the newspaper clippings, the notoriety, and the nostalgia. For years, every late October.....on a cool Friday Night, my mind relived that game.....that moment of sweetness.
Time stood still....whenever I was captivated in this nostalgia moment. And, it felt good. No....I didn't think about the months of pain, the workouts, the sweat of practices, the yelling from our coaches......nope. My mind was fixated on the excitement and comaraderie of a bunch of guys who won it all, at that level.
Are the early years of rock of ages like that for some.....??? Probably. Sweet moments of nostalgia and time stood still. And, that's the memory that some old-timers like to bask in. I understand it.
Don't we, as individuals, like to bask in moments of "being there"....at the apex of life?? A football championship.....a Beatles rock concert.......an unforgettable summer.......a special vacation........or those early rock of ages when we were the "building blocks of a spiritual movement?"
Still ramblin on.............. :)
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topoftheworld
Sky, I think you are right.
Once you get older, and "put away childish things", so to speak, life becomes bogged day into the everyday routine of living and responsibilty. That's just a natural part of growing up.
IMO, there is nothing wrong with having a look back at the younger days. We had more energy, more time, (less money). We were cynical about nothing except the older generation (now we are the older generation
).
Everything was fresh, everything was new, everything was exciting, and we were up for it. Doesn't matter if it was football, first loves, or dancing in a cornfield. It was a time for firsts, for accomplishments, for makng our best efforts, for discovery of things that would motivate us, for unlocking the doors of passions.
In looking back, knowing that I can't go back, I occasionally rediscover something of my younger days that gives me strength to move through today's days.
Nuttin' wrong with that.....
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outandabout
Every year when August comes, I find myself waiting outside the bathroom door for 30 minutes before I go in.
Then I have this uncontrollable urge to pitch a tent in the backyard and turn the sprinklers on.
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I Love Bagpipes
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skyrider
Awwww, yes.......the 30 minute bathroom wait.
Or,.......the cold, community shower after another 30 minute wait.
Or,.......assigned corps duties on the honey (sewer) wagon in the rv area.
Or,.......getting confronted about your wrinkled suit that you tried to press in your pup tent.
Or,.......enduring a scream-fest from the MOG for not believing to stop the downpouring rain.
See you at the Rock...............NOT.
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RumRunner
Sounds just like Lima, Ohio - 1975 - the one and only shower was ice cold but I don't recall honey wagons - only port-a-potties.....
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WhiteDove
Sky you may have a point there,but on reflection I think it's really the people that I miss the most , it's not the drive or the camping the first years,or the hotel bills the last. Having everyone in one place made it possible to catch up on what distance and time keeps us away from.
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Ca_dreaming
Ditto! White Dove.
Time stands still once again as we recall what we shared the last time we met. ROA, to me was all about the people. How have they grown from one year to the next. What adventures have they experienced.
And then continues from that last thread we remember. And when apart we piece it all together. We laugh, we cry, and remember. It brings distance apart to a stand still. Which gives us that warm fuzzy feeling. Or perhaps an adrenaline rush. Smiles appear where there may not have been in quite a while.. Isn't this life? The joy of being alive. Where ever we may be within our summer of fun, we are suppose to be there. As we get old we can chose what to remember that is important to us. Enjoy! and rejoice.
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skyrider
Yeah, WD...."it's really the people that I miss the most." Life is like that.....the fun, the comaraderie, the teamwork, the accomplishments, the hanging out together. Nothing like good friends, good memories.
Nope, it wasn't the "holy grounds of twi"...or the daily teachings...or the believer's market food stand ...or the hot, lazy afternoons of looking for a shady spot......it was the people. The family tables were pretty cool, because it gave some the opportunity to share of their victories, their experiences, their songs.
To me........the ROA represented the sending forth and the homecoming of the WOW Ambassadors who dedicated a year of their lives to go forth and share His deliverance.
The rock of ages brought that set of friends, wow brothers & sisters, corps buddies and others into my life year after year. Sadly, by 1982......some of them were no longer associated with twi and were missed at these annual reunions. But as the roa became more structured (and herding around of people)......the dynamics of its fun and fellowship were lost anyway. And consequently, never regained.
Today.........I've reconnected with many of my ole buds through the INTERNET. :)
And, a few of them..........I've seen face to face. We travel to their city and spend a weekend.....then, they come and visit us. Oh, the sweetness of good friends.
No tent city for us anymore. We have the comfort of air-conditioning, refreshing drinks are served, restaurants aplenty, etc. etc. It doesn't get any better than this. And, the nostalgia of them "old roa gatherings".....lives on.
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vickles
I don't know about internal clock but if you do something for 15 years or more in your life that is a lot of years of August coming around.
I go through the same thing. Every year at this time I think about how exciting it was to see people that I hadn't seen in a year or so. But its the early years that I miss the most. They were the most exciting.
Even when everyone is gearing to go travel on their motorcycles this time of year I remember Sturgis. Some day I will go out there and see old friends.
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mstar1
...It wasnt the ROA that was special--there is something about a gathering together of people away from the pressures of the world around any common interestthat rejuvenates and reinvigorates and reinspires people
There are still plenty to go to if anyone has a yearning for that sort of thing. I personally like one or two a year.
All that stuff is still out there if you want it, Ive been dancin barefoot in the mud a good part of the day and got home at 2:45am , (caked in mud dancin, playing and singing til the wee hours- a good 1/2 of the people in the crowd were my age (51)doing the same so Im not the only one either. You dont have to be a serious adult all the time you know, once in awhile its good to drop the game for a few days and have some fun. I know for me its very healthy.....
Heck yes, but why does it have to be in the past ---why cant it be today? Today is all we have to bask in, There was no golden moment "back there" that cant be bettered today
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skyrider
mstar....that's what I see, too. A common interest is the key factor to the experience.
Sounds like you found something there that's rejuvenating your soul, your life.
The time to dance is NOW.
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Belle
Sounds like the Blues Festival I went to every summer during my high school and college days, MStar! One year was sooooo muddy that all of us just gave up trying to keep clean and sat in the mud enjoying the music. Me and my friends were frequently the only white people there, pity. But everyone was colorblind at those festivals and KOOL always had a booth giving away free cigarettes.
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mstar1
I have way too much time to be an adult. Its good to feel 20 every once in awhile , or else redefine what i thought 50 was going to be, learn to enjoy it, and keep a little 'young' in me. My musical tastes have changed, I cant do loud for hours on end any more bu there are other styles that are conducive to who I am that I thoroughly enjoy. I think the mud and the rain actually bonded people into the common experience, if you are enjoying yourself, its not an annoyance just something thats part of it. The gospel hour this morning had 4 really good bands, by half way through just about everyone was singing and dancin -you couldnt help it it was infectious, ---about 5000 people enjoying sunday mornin' on the side of a hill.....beats TV or wishin for the 'old days'
anyway sorry to hijack the thread....
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Catcup
I don't particularly miss the Millstone of the Millenium, and the internal clock left long ago. But, my daughter has mostly good memories of camping there when she was little, visiting the sprinklers, and going to the petting zoo with friends. We still find something very relaxing about listening to a gentle rain on the canvas roof of our gazebo.
I do find it funny remembering a particular ordination during a raging thunderstorm, I think around 1985. As I walked to the tent in the storm I couldn't believe they didnt just reschedule it. And right during the ordination ceremony itself, a huge section of the tent roof gave way, drenching a bunch of the candidates. Anybody remember that one? A baptism with your ordination, anyone?
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simonzelotes
For some reason,that strikes me as a very sound thing to do....
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WordWolf
I find I prefer the get-togethers that happen in a hotel with air-conditioning,
but I like one or two a year also.
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