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Davis Young
- Sep 14, 2021

DY: In Just a Few Words (#48)

And they said it wouldn't last.

Last Thursday marked 60 years to the day since Karen and I tied the knot. A friend said he thought we had a big anniversary coming up and I dismissed that thought telling her At our age every anniversary is big.

I didn’t want to say anything about our anniversary before September 9 as I am sensitive to the fact there would have been an outpouring of gifts (mainly cash, I suspect) from friends and readers of this blog. Now, you’re off the hook.

You can be assured that no couple stays together for six decades unless there is real glue that binds them. We refer to ourselves as a team. As I told somebody during COVID House Arrest, It’s a good thing we still like each other or this experience would be miserable.

That said, it would be pollyannaish to think we don’t have our occasional differences. The number 60 marks a good point to be transparent about those.

Travel: Karen is a great traveler. We have visited more than 50 countries together. That’s a plus for any couple. My issue is one related to local travel. She never stops insisting that I roll up the car window at least halfway so her hair doesn’t get messed up. My position on this defining issue is that all car windows must always be open at all times and that includes the rooftop as well. I strongly dislike car air conditioning. Open the windows, Karen. Don’t worry about your hair. Your hair looks great.

Food: Pork chops are another important issue. I like roast pork. I like bacon. I am not a fan of pork chops. Karen knows that but - as sure as the sun coming up tomorrow - pork chops are on the table every three weeks or so. Her grade for this would be much higher if we had pork chops every three years, not every three weeks. It’s downright hurtful to continue with pork chops. I have feelings, too. Where’s the empathy?

Those are the two major issues that surface as I review 60 years.

In the early part of my career, I worked for a communications firm that held social events several times each year. You could set your watch to the fact that as soon as Karen made an entrance, people would say Here comes poor Karen. This would be followed by lots of comments such as How do you put up with this guy? I never went to any social event where people said Here comes poor Davis or How do you put up with that woman? Not once has that ever happened.

It will be 61 years this December on the last day of our fall semester at UNC that a friend said he was having a party that night, but I had to bring a date. I replied everyone I know had already gone home for the holiday break. So, he offered to set me up with a blind date. He said, It’s no big deal. You’ll never have to take her out again. That blind date was Karen and here we are all these years later very much still a team.

Despite the car windows and the pork chops - and those are not small issues - Karen grades out at Triple A+++. It’s been a great ride and it’s not over yet.

I must say that after 60 years, I am really on the cusp of finally making a long-term commitment.

Here’s to 65 years!

DY: In Just a Few Words is a blog that comes out when something needs to be said or every Tuesday - whichever comes first. Davis Young is a communications professional who adds 50+ years of experience and perspective to issues of the day. His emphasis in DY: In Just a Few Words will be humor (a touch of sarcasm here, a pinch of facetiousness there...). Once in a while, he will touch on something a bit more serious - but hopefully not too deep or depressing.

This blog is a product of DY Author & Speaker LLC. Feel free to quote content with attribution. Respond. Agree. Disagree. Share the content with your friends. Heck - even invite him as a speaker for your group! Enjoy!

Davis Young
- Sep 7, 2021

DY: In Just a Few Words (#47)

The day that changed the world.

This is not the normal, lighthearted Tuesday blog. Saturday marks 20 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks on American soil. We all have strong memories of that fateful day. Here are mine.

On September 11, 2001, my wife and I were nearing the end of a Mediterranean cruise and were in the port city of Kusadasi in Turkey. We would spend most of that day on an excursion to the ancient city of Ephesus, once the home of the Virgin Mary and an important site in Christian history.

Late that afternoon, we returned to the ship for what was to be the last leg of our journey. There, we crossed paths with another guest who asked if we had heard about what happened in New York that day? “A plane crashed into the World Trade Center.”

My immediate thought was it was probably a news helicopter or perhaps a commuter copter. Then, the man added, “Actually two planes crashed into the World Trade Center.” We returned to our cabin and turned on the TV. We were horrified to see the rubble through smoke that resembled what we have all seen in videos of a nuclear explosion. Destruction was everywhere and people were on the streets of New York heading in many directions to escape the chaos. Was this the start of World War III?

Soon, the captain came on the ship’s communications system to tell us we would proceed to Istanbul as planned, but then we would all get off the ship and be taken to hotels where we would stay for an undetermined amount of time. All planes had been grounded and we were not going home on schedule. We were assured the ship would not leave without all of us. We wanted nothing more than to get back on that ship with other Americans and head home, but that wasn’t going to happen for four days.

There we were in the midst of Istanbul, where we neither looked like nor dressed like local people. We stood out like a sore thumb. To say that time was unsettling is a gross understatement. Would we ever see our kids again? Would we be safe in Istanbul?

After a day or so, we began to venture outside our hotel. We found our way to the Grand Bazaar and a café to get something to eat. The waiter spotted us as Americans and told us several times how sorry he was that the attack had happened. “It wasn’t us. We would never do that.” An American then living in Istanbul stopped to offer her home phone number in case there was anything she could do for us. Turkish people came up to us on the street or in the Grand Bazaar to express their sorrow about the tragedy in New York. Without exception, they were as distraught about what had happened as we were and they wanted us to know that. We could not have felt more welcomed in their country nor could we have been treated better. We will never, ever forget that and we will be eternally grateful to the good people of Turkey.

On the fourth day, we were taken to the ship and told we would be going back across the Mediterranean to Barcelona in Spain, where our cruise had started. We left Istanbul and traveled to what we thought would be a brief stopover in Athens, Greece, for some provisions. We were informed some people would be getting off in Athens and that a plane would take them back to New York. Others would stay on-board until Barcelona. We were told that a list of those going from Athens to New York had been posted and we should check to see if our names had been included.

We were on that list and climbed aboard chartered buses to the Athens Airport. An American passenger plane used by the U.S. Army had taken troops to Bosnia and was being routed back through Athens to pick us up. On our way to the Athens Airport, we were told, “You have all been background-checked. We know who you are.” That was a chilling reminder of the seriousness of the situation.

The plane had been reconfigured to carry as many troops as possible and I recall there were hundreds of us who made the flight back to New York - jammed in, but happy to be going home.

Arrangements had been made to get everyone home from New York. We boarded our flight to Cleveland in the morning. I had a window seat on the left side of that plane. We took off and as we got to the Hudson River I looked out and saw the still smoldering remains of what had been the World Trade Center. I can close my eyes today and see that as clearly as if it was still 2001. I felt so blessed to be back in the United States of America heading home to Cleveland. But, I knew the world had changed and would never be the same again.

According to Wikipedia, more than 2,700 people died on September 11, 2001, at the World Trade Center. Another 44 perished when Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania. Add 125 at the Pentagon. Some 344 New York City firefighters and more than 70 NYC police officers perished - each a hero trying to save lives. There have been many residual effects from the attack, including 1,140 cancer deaths caused by exposure to the fire that erupted when the towers came down. More than 6,000 people suffered physical injuries, many long-lasting. And we will never know the full number of people with lifelong mental health issues due to the lasting trauma of this terrible day. May all these good people live forever in our memories and may no nation in the world ever experience such trauma again.

After 20 years, we have all moved on. But, we must never, ever forget the people who died that day and the families that will mourn their loss forever.

Davis Young
- Aug 31, 2021

DY: In Just a Few Words (#46)

Just call me the Music Man.

On a beastly hot weekend (AKA last weekend), 18,000 people went to the WonderBus music festival. That’s Wonder as in good time and Bus as in Columbus, Ohio.

You guessed it - another really good production by the Elevation Group team (that includes Denny Young). Once again, I was the oldest person there. There’s something to be said for surrounding yourself with other “YOUNG” people. On a side note, special kudos to Elevation for providing half-price tickets to local college students who either showed proof of COVID vaccination or received a vaccine on-site.

It’s been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. The picture above tells the story better than any words I can offer. So, no long rambling today.

Everything went smoothly. No octogenarians got into arguments. I didn’t get a whiff of any strange odors, although there were a couple of guests vaping. The only drugs I’m aware of was me taking my blood pressure pill on-site. I simply couldn’t control myself. Fortunately, nobody saw that.

I spent 11 hours people-watching on Saturday. You can really express yourself at a music festival. It’s America. Go for it. We all like to be noticed. NOTE TO SELF: A tie-dye t-shirt isn’t enough. Wear some glitter in 2022.

With mandates and suggested behaviors changing daily and sometimes even hourly, it’s just so difficult right now to stage a large public event, even outdoors. We are clearly not back to normal. But WonderBus did an amazing job of staying on top of the latest information to create as safe an environment as possible.

See you next year WonderBus. Look for the old guy wearing all the glitter so I can blend into the crowd as just another “YOUNG” dude having fun.

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