It's Differently Similar

We've all had moments where we've felt like we've "been there before", even though we know we haven't.

Or we feel like we've met someone before, though again, we know we haven't.

Even situations can feel similar, and yet, we know the current situation is a new experience from any other we've had.

I'm not an expert, so I don't have any idea what causes a person's brain to make these types of connections.  What I do know is, recently I've had one of these experiences, and the feeling has stayed with me from the beginning.  So much so, that I'm writing this post about it, to share with others.

That last paragraph kind of sounds like my experience is life changing, or at least dramatic in some way.  It's not.  It's just a simple observance that I found interesting enough to want to share.

It all began when I heard country singer, Luke Combs' song, "Even Though I'm Leaving", on the radio.

I fell in love with this song the minute I heard it.  At the same time, even though it was brand new, I felt like I'd heard the song before.

Then I realized why it felt so familiar, and yet, wasn't.  

Back in the late 80's, early 90's, country band, Sawyer Brown put out a string of hit songs.  

In 1991 they released a song, "The Walk", which would become one of the group's signature songs.

"The Walk" follows the life of a boy, who becomes a young adult, and man, all while taking walks with his dad down a dirt road where they live.

"Even Though I'm Leaving" has no dirt road walks mentioned in it anywhere, but it does have a dad and son sharing moments, and growing together.

That really is the only similarity between the two songs; yet I still can't help but think of Sawyer Brown every time I hear Luke Combs's song on the radio.  And thus this post has been written about my experience.

I'd love to hear what others think when they hear these two songs, so I've posted the videos for each below.  Let me know what you think, and feel free to tell me if I've completely missed the mark.  

Remembering The Good Things

It’s been eighteen years since I got a divorce, and a lot has happened in that time.  To be honest, a lot happened in just the first MONTH after my ex and I split; but that’s another story.

For now, I’m concentrating on the good things that came from that relationship.  The best thing of course would be our son; no regrets for that in 25 years since he was born. 

On the other side of the coin, the good things I’m remembering here are a bit on the warped side.  Some would say that I’m being mean towards my ex; I’m not.  To me, the stories are just funny, and I share them.  There may have been a time or two where I was feeling a bit mean at that moment; over all though, it’s not meant that way.  I’ve always said I lost the husband, kept the stories. 

One of my favorite stories about my ex happened before we got married.  He lived in Grande Ronde, Oregon, at the time, and I was in Brush Prairie, Washington.  (We’ve known each other since high school.)

I went to visit my ex, (then boyfriend), one weekend and he’d decided to make “dinner” for me…You have to understand, this is a guy who couldn’t boil water to save his life; despite that, he made “dinner”…spaghetti to be exact.

Spaghetti is pretty easy to make; and hard to mess up…Unless you’re my ex…I give him credit though, he at least tried.  With that said, here’s the “recipe” my ex used to make spaghetti:

Take one package of ramen noodles, any flavor, (he used shrimp flavor).  Make the noodles, (without the flavor packet), in the microwave.  If they’re too watery when they’re done, pour the water off.

For the “spaghetti sauce”, add the ramen noodle flavor packet to ketchup, (yes, KETCHUP); then pour the mixture over the ramen noodles.  Wha-la,“spaghetti”. 

Our honeymoon had it’s funny moments also…Like going to Canada…We could only go for a day, or go, come back to the states, then back to Canada the next day…He would NOT spend the night in Canada…Didn’t feel safe sleeping in a foreign country…Didn’t matter that we’re friends with Canada…Something could happen and we’d be stuck there. 

After our split, there weren’t a lot of funny moments; mainly because we, (my son and I), didn’t hear much from my ex.

One thing I remember though is when my son and I moved into where we live now.  My ex made a rare visit to see our son.  He showed up in a beat up, broken down red Fiero; had gained about 100 pounds, and had long yellowy white hair and beard.   (The weight stayed, but the hair was different the next time we saw him.)

After he left, my son, (who inherited his sense of humor from both me and my ex), said, “oh my gosh, I have white trash Santa Claus as my dad!” 

 I could go on and on, but this blog is getting long as it is.  So, for those who are wondering why I’ve even written this particular blog, here’s why.

A little over a year ago, my ex had to have part of his leg amputated.  He ended up in a care facility to get therapy, etc.  During that time, he and our son started to bond again…They’d had a rocky relationship since we split, mainly because my ex just didn’t come around much.  After my ex’s amputation though, my son would visit his dad, and hang out.  After a little over a month, things were really on the right path.  There were still things my son didn’t like about his dad, but overall, they were back to being a dad and son again. 

Then, on May 6, 2010, it all ended.  My ex was taken to the emergency room at SW Medical Center with chest pains.  He ended up having a heart attack, and died. 

It’s been a rough time off and on for my son, but overall he’s coped with the loss very well.  And like his dad, and me, a lot of the coping has been in the form of humor.  Just little things here and there that make us laugh, or remember my ex for some reason or other. 

That’s why I’m writing this blog for today.  It’s been a year since my ex died.  While we weren’t on the best terms even a year ago, I still feel his life was cut short too soon.  52 just isn’t that old.  I asked my son how he’d feel about me writing this, and he was fine with it.  He thought his dad would be flattered, even if not all that was written showed his best side. 

I guess this blog entry is my way of remembering the good times, and a way of saying to my ex, “we may not have gotten along that well in the end, but I won’t forget the good times we had”.