In 1983 an important and popular movie, The Big Chill, was much talked about among young and old. Although it was a memorial for a suicide by a mutual friend that brought the group together, the cast and dialogue prompted discussion of the numerous themes that the film explored. And so it was with my group of friends from early youth in western New York who joined me at camp for a weekend of fishing, boating, drinking, storytelling and reminiscing about times past. Some of the themes of The Big Chill surfaced during evening dinners and talks around the fireplace—about friendships and feelings for each other. Most of us have known one another for almost 70 years, but by week’s end, we knew more about ourselves and each other than we had before.
At these get togethers, which have now occurred over the past several years, we focus more each time on our aging, maturity—even at our age—and most importantly for me, optimism looking back and toward the future. I do not look back and ask “what if” but look forward and ask “why not more?” More time to spend with family and friends, time to speak freely, time to hug each other and time to fish the morning off the dock.
My friends walked closely together toward their respective vehicles for the trip home. Jer gave me a hug and said, “Lenny, we know ourselves partly through the memories of other people.” Nancy, his wife, took my hand smiling, “I enjoyed the memories and the laughter,” she said. Arne clasped me on the shoulder, saying “It was meaningful reminiscing among wonderful friends.” And Harv, the original bridge that brought the members of our group together, said, “Thanks, Lenny, for another memorable camp experience—70 years of friendships memorialized at camp.”