TheBanyanTree: A memory

[Sachet]

I do so love it when you share your perspective on life, Russ. This time 
even more so. And I find it so interesting that two of my most favorite 
writings of yours have the word "memory" in them.

On 6/9/2011 8:57 PM, Russ Doden wrote:
> Over the years I have written a lot of words, both here and to email
> friends, about the fun and nonsense that I get to enjoy as a performer at
> the Oklahoma Renaissance Festival.  I recently finished another season at
> this event.  I've been reviewing these memories the last few days, trying to
> put my thoughts down on . . I was going to say paper, but it isn't paper, it
> is just a bunch of 0's and 1's . . .and one memory keeps coming back to me.
> This memory isn't about the fun or nonsense or laughter that is so abundant
> at OKRF which is ever present at this event.
>
> You see, the last day of the festival this year (and most years) is Memorial
> Day.  Now the last day of a Ren Faire tends to be a little "weird" around
> the fringe if you know what to look for, with people pushing costumes just a
> bit, but this isn't what this memory is about.  Every weekend during the run
> of OKRF, at 12:30 we have a parade that winds all over the grounds.  It is a
> way to promote everything to everyone.  Everyone just kind of lines up in
> random order behind the carriages of the King and Queen and off we go,
> smiling, waving and being a general noisy procession.  The Memorial Day
> parade is different though.  In this parade, they put the flags of all 5
> branches of the Armed Forces right behind the American flag right at the
> front of the parade.  Then all of the vets that are part of the cast (at
> this event, cast includes actors, performers, staff, and booth people) are
> invited to fall in behind the flag of the branch of the military they were
> in.  The rest of the cast get in line behind the carriages of the King and
> Queen wherever they feel like.  We also invite all guests who were vets to
> join us - and we put them in front of us vets that are on cast.  This year
> we were lucky to have a young Marine home on boot camp leave visiting so he
> carried the USMC flag.  It is something that is done every year.  (OK, it
> gets to me every year too.)  When we are standing in line waiting for the
> parade to start, there is a lot of friendly banter and harassment back and
> forth between the lines.  Then the parade starts.  The friendly banter
> disappears, and we head out.  Usually someone will start to call cadence and
> we all get in step out of some deep seated training I guess.  Among the vets
> there is no smiling and waving.  We are lost in our own thoughts.  Like
> everyone else in the vet line, I hold up pretty well until a knot of
> visitors here and there applauds as the vets walk by.  The applause is all
> it takes, then I lose it - as do a lot of other vets.  We don't dare look
> off to the side, for fear of showing that we are "leaking".  We bite our
> lips and look at the neck of person in front of us.  We all have to do that
> at some point.  I was just getting a grip again when we hit an area where
> there were no visitors along the lane - it is a brief space that is yet to
> be developed.  Then it hit me - all I heard was crunch, crunch, crunch - no
> talk, no banter, no one calling cadence, just the sound of feet hitting
> gravel - everyone in step, nobody was trying to be in step at that point,
> but there we were.  We were all just lost in our own thoughts.  By the time
> we got back to where visitors were lined up, there were a bunch of people
> trying to get their game face back on.
>
> Why is this the memory that keeps coming back to me today?  I don't expect
> there to be any answers - it is just one of those things that happens.  One
> wise person told me it is because we were hearing the echos of those who
> have marched before us - we knew they were with us.  Maybe that is why there
> were so many marching in that little area!
>
> Russ
>
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