Mind Games of Bronte's Past.

Good morning all. Like many, I more than likely spend way too much time on social media. Not only on my own hang outs like Parading the Streets and the Bronte Cafe, but a whole list of Bronte, Oakville, music and photography pages.  

Recently, I made a few blog posts on what would appear to be two disconnected topics/musings. One was the passing of two Blakelock classmates and second, the on going negativity and angst over change in Bronte and wishing a return to the good old days.

Yesterday, I attended a Celebration of Life and there were a number of people from my high school days. Some I hadn't seen in nearly 25 years since the 2000 TAB Reunion, others since high school and some who I run into or connect with every few years.

A few of those haven't been to Bronte in a number of years. They had moved on to other communities, had careers, families and lives. While the focus was on our friend and classmate, there was catching up, sharing of memories, wondering about others we haven't seen, lost track of and sadly, those who have passed.

At these types of events there is, at least for me, a weird mind or memory trick will surface.  

You look at someone you haven't seen in a long time for a visual connection. Maybe you haven't seen them in 50 years or so. In that moment, in your own mind, you are 16, 17 looking for that person of the same age; that last mental image. Yet before you is someone much older, but in your mind and eye, you are in your teens and you think to yourself "they have aged!". Yet so did you. A disconnect between your memory and your eyes.

That process of catching up is a bit of a memory train, people, places, events and more. There is the saying the past is alive in the memories of your friendships.  

Fifty years ago, you were classmates, friends, inhabited the same places, school, arenas, dances, hangouts and had so much in common. Today our lives have taken different paths.

The bonds of shared experiences and friendships disappear, erode or change over the decades. In some special instances they are maintained. I am fortunate to have a number which have endured time and separation but the friendship and common bonds remains intact, even though we live miles apart, connect only virtually or have the occasional meeting.

Part of the discussion shifted to change in Bronte. Those visiting were looking for "landmarks" of their past. There were comments about condos and physical change. However, they were not negative or was there a longing for that physical past. For them Bronte had moved on like they have with their lives to a new place, experiences, people, friendships and landmarks.

Driving home, it got me thinking about the recent posts about how the Bronte "they knew" was gone and how it had been wrecked or degraded by change. There were the old chestnuts condos, no place to hang out like Big Macs, the Coach and Four or how the beach was ruined by the marina.

The question I was left with was whether these people were remembering the physical Bronte, looking through their mind eyes of a 16, 17 or 18 year old, the friends, experiences, youthfulness, first dates, music and more.  

If we were somehow able to recreate the Bronte of say 1965 or 1975, now that you are in your 60s or 70s; would it be good as you remember?  

Or had your life moved on and you were having one of this weird mind/memory moments where your brain was taking you back to your youth and your friend across the room (Bronte) had aged to a point you were you were unsure it was them and silently you say to yourself, my they have aged!  

Maybe the memories that you long for were not of a physical building or place, but rather that youth, your young self, your friends who moved away had a different lives and you realize the past you shared was gone and don't share the same lives and common interests today.

At the same time of my friend's, Celebration of Life, in away a new and different Celebration of Life was underway on the streets of Bronte.  

The BIA was holding the second Bronte Block Party. I attended in the morning and early afternoon. There were young families, couples and different generations. I saw maybe three or four people of my vintage. In a conversations; I was told by a number of people they were long time residents of 10, 15 and 20 years. Others much shorter. Their Bronte is much different than those imaged and remembered in the Facebook posts. In reality, each generation will have a different, memory and perspective on the community. None is right or wrong, but they will all have friends, experiences connections and share memories of their time

Over the Fall and Winter, Parading the Streets will post photos of Bronte. I will give you the location, provide some detail on the place, from my memories and tell you what is there today. It will come with a question. Would you want this to be part of Bronte today? Or maybe what is here is not so bad and Bronte had moved on from its past.