The Beauty of Grey

When I was a kid, not just behaving like one, whenever a plane flew overhead I would stop, look up and wave, to the puzzlement of whomever I was with. When asked why I did it, I would always explain that you never knew when someone was looking out of a plane's window down on us. I thought that whoever that someone was deserved to be cheered up. 

I sometimes have that same thought whenever I hear a plane flying overhead as I struggle to get my ten thousand steps a day in on a walk around the block after coming home from work. As an adult, I know better (or am supposed to) than to wave at the sky but I will admit to being tempted at times. Instead, I say hello to the next person I pass on my walk and the person after that as well.

And on those rare instances when I do fly in an aircraft, I strive to always have a window seat to look out of just in case someone 'down there' looks up as I'm passing over and waves. You can never be too prepared. 

I read online how one of the astronauts aboard the International Space Station, ISS, said he was struck by how much alike down here on earth we all looked from his vantage point. Maybe that's an urban myth, maybe not; but I find that a comforting thought. 

That idea and the images from the ISS always reminds me of the lyrics of John Lennon's Imagine and how little dreaming the creation of such a world needs in comparison to how much doing it requires to exist. So many people in the same device. 

Maybe that's why I enjoy the various celebrations of all the people we are who make up Norwich, ranging from the Saint Patrick's Day parade through this past Saturday's Juneteenth Day not forgetting the Taste of Italy, the Grecian Festival, and the other cultural observances I probably am forgetting. 

These get-togethers bring our various communities closer to one another, helping us better become right here on earth (and in Norwich) the view from out of the Space Station window. I’m always more interested in the people who chose to attend than I am with those who absent themselves. Besides, more for me.

John-Manuel Andriote, a Norwich native son whose literary efforts are known across the globe, used to call Norwich "an American melting pot in a saucepan size." And Juneteenth and all the other celebrations to include the upcoming Rock the Docks Wednesday concerts all help underscore the vibrancy of our shared histories and heritages, adding a special blend of spice to our sauciness.

And speaking of celebrations, are you waiting for me to express discouragement, dismay and disappointment about the absence of Fourth of July Fireworks in the Harbor? Keep waiting. Here's how I see it: If we want something hard enough we'll find a way; if we don't, we'll find an excuse.
- bill kenny