1991Nothing seems to get my blood pumping faster than a good cup of java... well, almost nothing. There's nothing like relaxing on a quiet, Sunday morning and reflecting on what life has been, what life is, and what life can be.
A lot of my friends don't really reflect on things in the past, so they say. Whether they have painful memories, or they don't believe it has much to offer, it is a 'waste of time'. For me? I believe just the opposite. I feel blessed to have many points of light emanating from the past... points of light to help illuminate the path ahead of me.
As I think back, one of my favorite years was 1991. Hop into my time machine and picture yourself 18 years younger than you are right now. Me? That year was filled with lots of "firsts". My first driver's license. The first African-American student in my school district to bring home the gold from Texas U.I.L. competition. My first boy crush. My first long hike in the Land of Enchantment.
While the U.S. Congress was authorizing Operation Desert Storm to protect our interests in Kuwait and Iraq, and Boris Yeltsin was elected to lead Russia into a new future, I was feeling a youthful sense of euphoria that seemed to last forever.
Today, I can still remember the feeling of accomplishing so many things... that euphoria. Nowadays, the euphoria is experienced from time to time; But it doesn't last weeks on end due to bills, the economy, and other worries of adulthood.... at least without liquor, condoms, and perhaps some poppers. Ahem... nevertheless, I still strive to chase that feeling.of eternal bliss. Soon, I am confident that I will catch it.
Tell the "Black Man Next Door" what you were up to in 1991? Where were you in the world? Did 1991 teach you any lessons, or provide any memories?
A lot of my friends don't really reflect on things in the past, so they say. Whether they have painful memories, or they don't believe it has much to offer, it is a 'waste of time'. For me? I believe just the opposite. I feel blessed to have many points of light emanating from the past... points of light to help illuminate the path ahead of me.
As I think back, one of my favorite years was 1991. Hop into my time machine and picture yourself 18 years younger than you are right now. Me? That year was filled with lots of "firsts". My first driver's license. The first African-American student in my school district to bring home the gold from Texas U.I.L. competition. My first boy crush. My first long hike in the Land of Enchantment.
While the U.S. Congress was authorizing Operation Desert Storm to protect our interests in Kuwait and Iraq, and Boris Yeltsin was elected to lead Russia into a new future, I was feeling a youthful sense of euphoria that seemed to last forever.
Today, I can still remember the feeling of accomplishing so many things... that euphoria. Nowadays, the euphoria is experienced from time to time; But it doesn't last weeks on end due to bills, the economy, and other worries of adulthood.... at least without liquor, condoms, and perhaps some poppers. Ahem... nevertheless, I still strive to chase that feeling.of eternal bliss. Soon, I am confident that I will catch it.
Tell the "Black Man Next Door" what you were up to in 1991? Where were you in the world? Did 1991 teach you any lessons, or provide any memories?
1991 TIDBITS
- Professor Anita Hill accuses now-Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas of sexual harrassment.
- Median U.S. Household Income was $30,126.
- Soviet Union dissolves after President Gorbachev resigns.
- FOX Broadcasting is the first U.S. network to allow condom advertising on television.
- The first Black GLBT Pride parade is held in Washington, DC.
- Helen Sharman becomes the first Briton in space.
Not certain if the "world" was teaching me anything but in 1991, I had just turned 22 that summer and had "come out" the year before to my mother. It had strained the mother/son relationship of course and that summer of '91, I began seeking out someone to date whom I ended up being a part of their life for the next 11 years. Sad to say, it did not endure beyond that time but looking back, the early 90's for me were a time of adjusting to the gay lifestyle and coming to terms with what it would mean for my family and my friends. Years later, the adjustment has subdued but the mission remains the same: Be yourself, be happy, be unique.
ReplyDeleteIn 1991 i was 11 and in the 5th grade or somewhere around there....i remember desert storm...and the word "War" scared me....i had to write a paper about what war ment to me that year....i got an A...i still have it...other than that...i remember madonnas "Vogue" video...and thinking that, that kinda music is on its way out...for that year was when i discovered grundge music...oh and that was the year my mom left us....that was a very hard summer if my reflections serve me correctly
ReplyDeleteI was born in 1983. I would have been in Primary School. I remember little, to be honest.
ReplyDeleteTRiG.