Turn The Lights Back On
by Heather Gately
Let me start by stating a fact: I am a massive fan of Billy Joel. I have sung his music for most of my life, know every word to every song and have had the pleasure of seeing him in concert numerous times over the years, including his recent run at Madison Square Garden! And when I say, ‘Massive fan’, I am talking about also buying his earliest album with the band ‘Attila’ before he was ‘Billy Joel’ to his classical music album of etudes before he took a hiatus from recording and producing new material. I was absolutely thrilled to learn that he had released new music and couldn’t wait to queue Alexa to play ‘Turn the Lights Back On’ and again, be transformed into listening to the familiar combination of poignant words underscored by beautiful layers of melody and harmonies interwoven into a truly beautiful piece of music. For me, it was worth the wait! Then, I listened to it again….and again…..and again….as all fans do! But, what compelled me to go deeper each time was the layer of complexity of how life has hit us, Billy and me, and now we are 40+ years down the road….asking ourselves, ‘Is it too late to turn the lights back on’???
Like most of us, we reach a point where we realize that there has been a lot of living in the last 40+ years. You likely have found/lost your first job, first love, first career, first house, car…etc etc. Somewhere along the line of living and working and raising families, we hit life’s ‘auto-pilot’ button and cruised along at altitude with the anticipated turbulence along the way. Perhaps for some, the turbulence required a grounding of sorts or perhaps set your life on a different trajectory but, one that allowed you to soon hit ‘cruise control’ again and coast along. If you are lucky, you life is full of fulfillment, passion and purpose which stimulates and catapults you along nicely. But, still…on cruise control. We hardly spare a thought of our early formative years, when we were young, new sponges soaking up our school and life lessons with a thirst that kept us going right up until we hit the right altitude. We were and are proud of our accomplishments and rightly so! As the days grow into years and the years turn into decades, we yearn for the day when we celebrate ‘Retirement’ with a zest of that feat and look toward the future of golf, travel, skiing, more time with family, grandchildren only to find that the once youthful body and mind has also aged….and for some, not too gracefully.
‘And pride sticks out his tongue
Laughs at the portrait that we become
Stuck in a frame, unable to change…I was wrong’
For many, we might be stuck on auto-pilot and feeling that change, while inevitable, is difficult. Our minds might be so stuck in the routine of our patterns over the last 40+ years and we might notice that our ability to be ‘flexible’ in thoughts and ideas may be as rusty as trying to touch our toes without wincing. Nobody ever told us the dangers of staying on ‘auto-pilot’ for extended periods and what that might do to us once we decide to turn the lights back on!!! While we remember the things of old (even lyrics to songs!), we struggle with remembering our grocery list or where we placed our car keys, wallet or phone. Is this resonating with you? It sure is for me!
The good news for Billy and us is that it isn’t too late to ‘Turn the Lights Back On’!!! In fact, the great news is that despite the age that we are becoming it is NEVER too late to turn the lights back on!! The Alzheimer Disease International 2023 Campaign spoke to the issue:
Their World Alzheimer’s Month 2023 campaign was: ‘Never too early, never too late.’
The World Health Organization latest paper on brain health states:
“Brain health can be optimized throughout life with actions across the following clusters of determinants: physical health, healthy environments, safety, and security, learning and social connection, and access to quality services. Optimizing brain health can not only reduce the prevalence and burden of neurological disorders, but also improve mental and physical health overall and create positive social and economic impacts, all of which contribute to greater well-being and help advance society, irrespective of the presence or absence of disorders.
No one wants to wake up one day to find that the lights are permanently off or that their capacity to learn, grow, participate, and engage in and from life is disabled because of poor lighting! Billy, it’s never too late to turn those lights back on! In fact, with the 40+ years that have passed, your life experiences and openness to embrace new learnings, old activities of learning and/or new challenges might just be the key to turning the lights back on! Run towards the light switches that are available to you!! Get involved, learn many new things, challenge yourself and your partner, play games, pick up a paint brush or a drumstick, write a poem or a song (please, another song Billy!), go for walks, but make it with a purpose! Make your new learning intentional! Embrace your neurons and increase that neuroplasticity as if you are wanting to embrace your love in a darkened room after years of quiet neglect….
I'm here right now
Yes, I'm here right now
Looking for forgiveness
I can see
As we're laying in the darkness
Yes, we're laying in the darkness
Did I wait too long
To turn the lights back on?
The answer to you all is ‘No, it’s not too late to turn the lights back on’