THE SUMMER OF LOVE: FIFTY YEARS LATER...

Although I was only five and a half years old, I remember the summer of 1967 very well. I remember the Jefferson Airplane making their debut on American Bandstand as the summer kicked off in June. As the vocals of Grace Slick were "gracing" New York Metro airwaves with "Somebody to Love," summer was off to an amazing start. In July, the Beatles released "All You Need Is Love" with their Magical Mystery Tour soon to follow. September witnessed the release of Lulu's hit single from the film of the same name "To Sir with Love" making us wish actor Sidney Poitier could be our teacher. The one and only Aretha Franklin made her interpretation of Otis Redding's "Respect" her very own as she became a positive force in our lives.

Fifty years later, the lyrics to all these classic songs give us pause to reflect on the status quo. In the Jefferson Airplane song, the lyrics "When the truth is found to be lies and all the joy within you dies" today is reminiscent of all the erroneous content readily available across media platforms. In the Beatles song, the lyrics, "Nothing you can say, but you can learn how to play the game, it's easy" today is reminiscent of the masses who reject established principles of anatomy and physiology in favor of what is "easy." The Lulu song now makes us yearn for a return to "old-school" values, while Aretha makes us think about respect for one another.

I discuss these and other issues in my new book, GET A C.L.E.W. FOR LIFE! ©️ based on my trademarked program CLIMB, LIFT, AND EAT WELL ®️ coming out soon.
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Until then, let's prevent what we can and be combat-ready for what we cannot as we enjoy and make the most of every single day.