A fantastic thing about aging—it empowers you to use clichés such as reflect, perspective, and mellowed. Graying and keeping it gray gives those of us fortunate enough to reach this point in life an opportunity to explain ourselves as if someone cares and may gain something from what is said. However, because there is often more than one version of events, you may have to read between the lines to find a deeper truth. Nevertheless, I have strived to provide a truthful account of my life and the times in which I became an adult, offering some reflections, opinions, and suggestions along the way.

I think it worthwhile to ponder a path chosen and navigated before the traveler has completed his or her journey. As we reflect on the fiftieth anniversary of the many events marking the important period from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s, it is appropriate to celebrate again the lives and times that changed the world or were changed by the world and continue to have an impact. In particular, it is important to celebrate those who lost their lives fighting in the Vietnam War, or demonstrating on our campuses, or struggling to survive the urban core of our cities. My life is one of many paths through this maze.

The poetry and lyrics I include provide an additional, contemporaneous perspective. Actions inspired by them are important: what we say and how we act matter.