I have saved the ephemera of my life. And in doing so, I have discovered that buried there in the piles are treasures of "retro" synchronicities.
Recently, I was beginning to organize my collection of letters that I have received my entire life, pre-email era. (I have actually thrown out several that my mother sent me, because at the time I thought they were mundane.) In the bag of letters I found a newpaper I had saved from Athens, Greece dated September 29, 1981. It is fairly interesting to read what was happening in Greece then and on the world stage.
So, in this little tourist paper, Athens Daily Post, there is an article or column called: An American in Athens, a collection of "Quick Shots" of famous people in the vicinity. The first line reads: "Bo and John Derek tried their best to keep a low profile while in Greece,..." I read, perhaps for the first time, the entire column just the other night. I certainly do not remember if I read it in 1981; most things I kept were for unknown reasons, perhaps for some future art project, or to read at a later date. Something tangible to show that I have existed elsewhere. I would have read newspapers back then and not been interested in the content. In a sense, I was forcing myself to read the news, in order to become "informed" but it never worked for me.
I have never heard any of the names in this article except the first two. So, I read down to the very last paragraph:
A two part, five hour "wallow" in ancient Greeks is a stage hit in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Titled "The Greeks," it is an adaptation of the Trojan War and the tragic repercussions for the House of Atreus. Originally staged in London in three parts by the Royal Shakespeare Company, it is based on seven plays of Euripides.
The reasons this is a sync:
1. My hometown is Williamstown
2. Why is the Artistic Director, Nikos Psacharopoulos, not mentioned?
He was born in Athens, now [1981] living in America!
(He died on January 12, 1989 after surgery for colon cancer; he became Artistic Director of Williamstown Theatre Festival in 1956; immigrated to US in 1947; born on January 18, 1928)
2 comments:
hi there, i came to your blog quite randomly. i started a blog about 2 years ago called an american in athens, which has morphed into a full-blown web site now, and it was interesting to read your memories.
i love letters; i keep all of them, though i understand my mother threw out a bunch of them after i moved out. she's gone now, but at least i saved hers. e-mail is quick and easy, but somehow without soul? know what i mean?
athens daily post. i've never heard of it, probably because i didn't arrive in greece until 1997, and so many newspapers have come and gone.
did you save any others?
Hi Kat,
I am completely intrigued, as now this synchronicity has, yet, another layer! I love these complex, retro syncs!
First to answer your question:
I'm not sure if I saved other newspapers from Greece, I have, indeed, saved newspaper clippings and magazines (from ticket stubs to unused toilet paper!) from other locations, as well. I am in the process of sorting EVERYTHING, NOW!
How did you stumble upon this posting?
I see that you are currently in a different locale, of which I have a (current) strong connection! I imagine there is "music in the air," there, today!
I am totally impressed by your wanderlust... sounds like you are writing a book? I have, only spent 14 months in Europe from 1980-1981. Most of that period I was in Switzerland where I worked in the Hotel/Restaurant business for 2 seasons. During that 14 months I traveled to Greece twice. First time,'just did the Peloponnesus and Corfu; second time, Zakynthos, Athens, Crete and Santorini(Σαντορίνη, October 1981, probably a completely different haven then, than now! From what I hear)
I looked at your web site, Wow! Extremely interesting.
I will be scanning some of my clippings, etc. in the near future (my scanning capabilities are limited, at present)
I will be returning to your web site! I would love to visit Greece, again, one day.
If you have the interest, look at my May 21, 2009 entry, The Diamond in My Drawer. And in the comment section there is a link to another bloggers' entry that is tied to that one!
Have you ever been to the garden center nearby?
Doreen
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