Wax On, Wax Off
This is an entry in the Saturday series of Timeless & Timely called “Off the Clock,” where we focus on words, a quirk of history or literature, or something just plain fun. Make sure you don’t miss a single issue.
“…in a romantic chamber of the heart, in a nostalgic country of the mind, where it is always 1895.” — Vincent Starrett, 1933
Last week, we talked about the concept of a hiatus.
In keeping with the spirit of that, from my vacation perch, I reached into the archives and found a thing or two about nostalgia.
I hope you don’t mind the look back…at looking back.
It’s a two-parter, beginning with one that points out the diametric opposites of progress and nostalgia:
And then it follows with the acknowledgment that not only do institutions and edifices change over time, but so do we:
And as we pause to consider nostalgia, here’s one final farewell: Robert Morse, a two-time Tony-winner who played Bert Cooper in Mad Men, passed away this week. That show was both nostalgic and an eye-opener to the realities of the time.
As Cooper died in his sleep watching the Apollo moon landing in 1969, he dreamed he was performing this final number:
Whether you wax nostalgic or embrace the realities of the present, enjoy yourself.
And keep pushing ever forward.
Thanks, and I’ll see you on the internet.
