So anyhoo I'm watching Leon Russell, who looked like a grizzled old wizard in a Harry Potter movie plink away his piano, , and I remembered back decades ago when I used to lose myself and escape my own trials and tribulations in his, Elton John's, and countless other performers' music. After some 14 songs from their new album Union, Elton John helped Leon off-stage and Leon, majestic in his tux, tails and cane, slowly exited, "stage left."
Elton then played a number of his older tunes; not stuff that was totally mainstream like Daniel or Saturday Night's Allright for Fighting, but instead songs like Levon and Ballad of a Well Known Gun. As he jammed away, my wife offhandedly said, "He used to be able to sing such high notes when he was younger..."
I thought about her comment for a moment, and my mind drifted back to a couple of other amazing performers, Pete Townsend & Roger Daltrey from The Who, whose incredible song Tea and Theatre blew my mind when I watched it for the same reason.
What we're able to witness, with the performances from Elton, Leon, The Who, and dozens of other bands who kicked ass back in the 60s, 70s and 80s, is a unique progression of maturity, aging, and increasing limitations on us as we grow old.
They are growing old with us, yet our memories, when triggered by one of their songs from yesteryear, are usually of a time and place when we were young, carefree, living life forever, and thinking anyone over 40 was ready for a nursing home.
So when we hear something from the past and watch these guys and girls perform them some thirty, forty even fifty years later, it's a shocking juxtaposition of our recollections with our current reality.
It's not a bad thing, mind you, and in fact it's comforting to know that we are not alone in our aging. But it does highlight the fact that we are indeed aging, and with that aging comes limitations, changes to our body and our ability to do some of the things we used to do.
Placing this in the context of homelessness and recovery, it also highlights the fact that life on the streets becomes increasingly difficult the more one ages. We know that persons living n the street are three times more likely to die before the age of 75 than their housed counterparts, according to Dr. Jim O'Connell, a renowned physician who works with homeless populations. It's interesting to note that those most at risk of dying aren't the elderly homeless population, although they are certainly at a very high risk as well. Rather, it is the group between 42 and 52 years of age who are most likely to die prematurely as a direct result of the lifestyle.
My point here is that if you've lived more than 40ish years of a life unsheltered and you're reading this, chances are you've done some stuff to yourself both physically and mentally and have begun to notice some changes in your ability to do things that you used to take for granted. Maybe a decrease in overall stamina, a change to your sleep patterns perhaps, aches and pains that come more frequently and/or are a little more painful than they used to be, activities that seem to take a heavier toll than they used to, you know, stuff like that.
If you're currently housed and have your assorted creature comforts at our fingertips while kicking back in your favorite chair or on your comfy sofa, imagine for a moment what your life would be like without these luxuries. I'll be it doesn't take you long to say "screw that,." There's no shame in finding something else to spend your time on, since no one wants to be reminded about their own fragility and....mortality.
So as I watched Elton and Leon last night, I had that familiar yet slightly uncomfortable feeling again of looking into a mirror and seeing myself growing older in one of those crazy sped up time sequences. It's not a bad thing, just a reminder of the reality that we don't live forever and my generation has begun the slide into its "golden years."
