A close coaching friend sent me a You Tube link to A Wonderful World. I watched a youthful Louis Armstrong sing his song for the ages. It triggered a significant memory that that has sat in the deep recesses of my mind for years.
I was about 7 years old when my parents announced we would be going on a road trip to the Steel Pier in Atlantic City. It was about a 90 minute car ride, not much of a road trip by today’s standards. It was big for us since we were a relatively poor family and any road trip away was an adventure.
Two things struck me that day and have remained as distinct memories these many years later. One was the diving horse. A girl rode a horse up a large elevator lift of some sort and jumped from a high platform to the pool below. A pretty cool event and still not as powerful as the event that followed.
Later we were walking along a portion of the Steel Pier when we stopped by a small 3 or 4 piece band. I found myself mesmerized by the lead singer that also played the trumpet. He had a white handkerchief wrapped around his trumpet. His voice was silky smooth. We listened to a few songs before moving on. When my father told me it was Louis Armstrong – it meant nothing to me, and when he sang ‘It’s a Wonderful World’ it touched me. That song is a beautiful reminder of what is wonderful in this world. We could all use this type of reminder on a regular basis.
What are you doing to appreciate the beauty in this world? And I hope you will share the beauty that is you.
