Keep on trying

My brother shared this video on Facebook this morning and I’ve listened to it at least a half dozen times already. I suspect that the reason things like this can always bring a tear to my eye as predictably as a dog story, is a regret that I’ve never made music a big part of my life. But there’s more to it than that.

This particular genre of video pieces together cuts from musicians taped in many far corners of the world playing and singing the same song.  Maybe it’s a stretch to put this on a website that’s supposed to be about Ordinary life in Durham and real estate. However, it reminded me of just how international a community Durham has become.

In my last post about my experience at the Duke Eye Center, I totally forgot to mention that the first of the professionals that examined me was Russian, the second was Chinese and another Chinese woman was one of the doctors preforming the procedure. The opthamologist that referred me to Duke was Syrian.

This is so common we don’t even think of it anymore but it first struck me a few years ago when I was doing a real estate mailing in one of Durham’s larger subdivisions. As I was sticking labels on envelopes I was amazed with how obviously not Anglo-Saxon so many of the names were.  Three of the most prominent leaders in my Rotary Club are Indian in origin.  My own little neighborhood, once primarily white, is not only integrated racially but is looking more international every year.

So I hope the video gives you a lift like it did me.  As they used to say on the old Dick Clark show, it has a good beat that you can dance to. But I think it also has a message like “we’re all in this together. Let’s enjoy each other along the ride.”