This is my friend, and mentor in astronomy, giving his last lecture at our astronomy club. He has retired and will be moving away, and it seems like such a loss. He is brilliant, knowledgeable, and funny in an offbeat way that we both share. It seems unimaginable that he will not be nearby. We will always be connected with the telephone and the internet, of course, but it will not be the same. His talk tonight was just brilliant: "The Way it Was." He traced his beginnings in astronomy along with the world as it was back in the 1960's and onward. He talked about what we thought we knew in astronomy 50 years ago, and what we have learned since, and he compared that to the path he has taken in his life. It was memorable and poignant, and brilliantly done. "A Swan Song" is what it is called, and so the evening was bittersweet.
So keeping this friend will not be as easy going forward as it has in the past. But from your previous posts that involve long-time friends, it seems you've been able stay in touch with others you care about who live far away. There's always a choice. We can make the effort to still be a part of one another or let time and distance take away a friendship with meaning. Being close has nothing to do with how many miles are between your house or his, or how often you see someone.
ReplyDeleteVery nicely said. Something we all need to realize and far too often neglect to do. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYour friend is very special to my family; he is honorable and thoughtful and will not forget his ood friends, regardless of where he is physically.vullys
ReplyDeleteThis photo is of my friend Sam. We have spent 30 years in the Planetarium and Astronomy field together, and I had the pleasure to be his student teacher and teach with him for 3 years. His retirement from the Planetarium field will leave a void that cannot be filled. But even though we will be about a thousand miles apart, he will still be my friend.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful tribute! But how sad it sounds. Know that every time you look up at the night sky, you are both looking at the same stars, no matter how far apart you are.
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