40 Years

I can point to certain years in my life and say, “That was a pivotal year. Things changed that year.”

1983 is one of those years for me. The great philosophers of Jefferson Starship noted “hang on can you hear the strange cry/Winds of change are blowing by,” in their treatise, “Winds of Change,” which poked into Billboard’s Top 40 (reaching #38 for just two weeks) in early ’83.

The winds of change blew me around in 1983. Throughout that year, a series of events happened that put me on the road that led me here tonight.

I have been thinking about the events of 1983 for decades now. Most of the time, this thinking is strictly back-burner, not something the occupies the forefront of my mind.

Sometimes though, particularly during milestone anniversary years, I think about 1983 much more than usual. And during those years, I ponder how to best capture what I remember about 1983.

This is a milestone year. It’s been 40 years since 1983, and again, I want to nail the year down, mostly so I can let it go.

I can’t make all the varied events of 1983 fit into 217 words. It’s a bigger project for me. But, as bits and pieces fall into place, I’ll report on my progress here.

~217~