The Things We Lose

Luna Lovegood says to Harry Potter: “my mum always said the things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end.”

In 1969, a friend of mine was working a summer job in Pennsylvania.  Some of his co-workers said, “Hey Tommy, we’re going to be going to a concert this weekend.  Want to go?”

“Where is it?”

“In a field in upstate New York?”

“Who’s playing?”

“A whole bunch of bands.  Come on, go with us.

“Where are you going to stay?”

“We’re going to camp out on the ground.”

He declined their offer.  At the time, it sounded very inconvenient. Turns out, he missed out on Woodstock, a three-day music festival featuring some of the best bands of the day and remembered as one of the defining moments of rock history.  Last week, I left a gift on Tommy’s front porch, a 40th anniversary commemorative DVD of the event.