The Peninsula Daily News (link here) explained that the Wheeler family of Sequim made a connection with him back in 1956 and continued that relationship for years afterward. They were the hosts of the event, coordinating musicians, coffee and cookies and cake.
 |
| Some of us didn't need the lyrics to recall the words of the songs we had been singing 'back then'... |
How do you compress the experiences of several years into a three-minute talk?
Fortunately, with my background as a Toastmaster, I was able to extemporaneously (big word meaning to quickly stand up before a microphone and speak to a crowd of 100 without any planning) tell about how I got sent to Woodstock Country School in the 60's - in VERMONT, not the place where they had days of wild living and singing in NEW YORK - and ended up with Pete's younger sister in my class, and how he came to visit us.
But the kernel I wanted to offer to this group was what I think was the essence of Pete's life, that when you were talking to him, he was listening, and for all of us at Woodstock, this was in itself a rare experience and it was something to carry away and build on in our futures.
Several people came up to me later and said they enjoyed hearing what I had to say.
That was gratifying.
But what pleased me the most was being able to find a way to express what this man of legend meant to me when I was 16 years old, that even then as he was becoming so well known, he took time to listen. Not only to me, but to all of us gathered 'round him as he played for us and talked with us.
And then later today I was reading a reminder about this important tool of communication.
When we really listen to what someone is saying, we are letting them know that we think they have something of value to share. This imparts a sense of importance to them, building their self-esteem.
How often are we invited to a party where we are introduced to someone, but that person is always looking over our shoulder, scanning the room for someone better they can engage in conversation? We come away feeling belittled, de-valued, less than.
I am so grateful for my early experience in meeting Pete and what I liked about him was that he wore a plaid shirt everywhere with his bluejeans, and when his blue eyes met yours you knew you had value in them.
 |
| The play "Summer of Love" was recently staged here, a reminder for some of a time gone by, but still relevant. |
What an awesome story! Pete Seeger had a life and lived it well. He stuck close to his values which is not an easy thing to do when fame and notoriety take over.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this.