“Sittin’ in the
mornin’ sun,
I’ll be sittin’ when
the evenin’ come…”
Otis Redding

Prior to the tragic events of September 11, 2001, at a time before schools needed security fences around the perimeter of their campus, and before passengers were required to remove their shoes going through security lines at the airport, the cruise ship docks in Nassau (Bahamas) harbor were easily accessible. My friend, Dan, and I took advantage of that access on numerous occasions fifty years ago.

Dan was an accomplished guitarist. Just as I consider writing to be my therapy, I think Dan found playing his guitar to be therapeutic. The two of us were in the Bahamas for the 1974-75 academic year to teach at Saint Augustine’s College.

Our living accommodations that year were in two of the guest rooms adjacent to Saint Augustine’s Monastery, situated on a hill overlooking the school campus. Our compensation for working at the school included three meals per day in the dining room of the monastery with the Benedictine community. Every now and then, after dinner, Dan and I would drive down to the docks which, at that time of day, were vacant. Cruise ships in Nassau tend to arrive early in the morning and depart late in the afternoon or early evening, leaving the docks empty during the after-dinner hours. Dan and I would take advantage of the opportunity to drive our little white Volkswagen out to the west end of one of the docks. We’d get out of the car, sit on two of the mooring bollards, and Dan would play his guitar as we enjoyed watching the setting sun dip beneath the horizon.

Whenever I hear the song “Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding, I recall those special times. Dan and I had a unique opportunity that year — two 20-year-olds hired to teach in a 7th through 12th grade school on an island located southeast of Florida and north of Cuba in the Atlantic Ocean. It is an experience I continue to savor more than fifty years later.

Music has an amazing ability to take us back to previous times in our lives. While, for some, a particular song might bring up a sad or painful memory, I would like to believe that most of the memories which arise from hearing specific songs or genres of music are positive. This is certainly true for me.

It’s amazing how many songs transport me back in time with vivid memories of where I was and who I was with when the song was played. The 1970 classic song “Colour My World” by Chicago is another one of those songs for me. The song “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King will always bring back fond memories of my visit to a sixth-grade class at Shitzu Elementary School in Sotome, Japan (a suburb of Nagasaki) in 1998. The teacher of that class had prepared his students for my visit by teaching them to sing the song in English. Formal education in English begins in seventh grade in Japan. The teacher, a native of Japan who played guitar in a local band, wanted to surprise me when I visited his classroom. He did. It is one of the most cherished moments of my life.    

There is a power in music of which many are unaware and for which I am incredibly grateful. What songs bring back special memories for you?