Another 7 years.  It’s hard for me to believe…  I saw 41 Up! the year it was released (1998), and it seems like only yesterday.  I can’t imagine what it must feel like to the dozen or so individuals featured in the films.

If you’re wondering what I’m talking about, here’s a primer.  Director Michael Apted began a documentary film series in 1964, and has revisited the project every 7 years since.  He began by interviewing a group of seven-year-old children, asking them questions about how they would expect their life to unfold, what they liked/disliked, what their families were like, etc.  They are sweet kids… full of the promise of a life yet to be lived.   You wonder how it will all turn out.  Then, you get to see.

49 Up! was released in 2005.    What were once precocious children are now adults, with long lives of struggles, successes, family joys and tragedies, and personal growth or stasis.   It’s a remarkable achievement to capture life so vividly.  I find this series incredibly rewarding to watch, and equally moving.

If you weren’t aware of it, here’s a little secret.  You are going to die some day.  Sooner than you might wish.  As Mr. Lennon said, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.”  One of your days ticks away every time you wake.   Make the most of it.

Watching these brave individuals live, love, and age, 7 years at a time, in jump cuts, is incredibly inspiring.  

And with that, I have some new songs to write.
-G