The Word - Vol 10

The Big Chill

Every year on or around March 5th, Cathy Latremouille and a few friends gather for what we call our Big Chill weekend.  It’s to mark the anniversary of the passing of her husband and our good friend, legendary broadcaster, Fred Latremouille who left us on March 5, 2015.  We call it the big chill weekend, even though it’s not quite the same theme as the movie of the same name, and certainly not as dark as some of the movie.  We get together to share memories, funny stories and celebrate a life, and mourn a loss in our lives.  And, lately, it’s become a double celebration of life, as we had another loss in our group of friends, Joanne Sutton, a vibrant woman whose life was cut short on March 7, 2021.

For those of you not familiar with the movie, The Big Chill, it’s a 1983 film with an all-star cast, including Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Mary Kay Place, Meg Tilly, and JoBeth Williams. 

It’s the story of a group of college friends who reunite after 15 years for the funeral of a friend and spend a weekend together.  The film deals with relationships of old friends who have lost touch over the years but get together again.  The film is powered by an amazing soundtrack.  For anyone who was in High School or University in the ’60s and ’70s, this music is the soundtrack to your life.  Rock, Pop, and Motown tunes that take you back to the time of Marvin Gaye, The Rolling Stones, and The Temptations.

One of the themes of "The Big Chill" is the idea of how friendships evolve over time.  The friends realize that while they have changed over the years, what hasn’t changed is the close friendship they still feel for one another, and being able to pick up where they left off.  Almost like time stood still.

I started to wonder why there are certain people in our life, probably just a handful, that we don’t see often, but when we do, it’s as if no time has passed.

Here I am at 73 years of age, and I still keep in touch with half a dozen people I went to grade school and high school with. And although we don’t see each other on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, when we do, we seem to pick up right where we left off on our last visit.  Maybe our friendship is so strong, it doesn’t need daily or even monthly attention.  I kind of hope so.

There’s a certain bond with old friends.  I guess it’s that we shared experiences and memories when we were laying the foundation of our lives, and over the years we’ve come to know each other’s personalities and quirks, likes, and dislikes.  We know each other so well, we don’t have to ask, and there’s no need for small talk.

​As soon as we get together, we’re into it, just like the old days. 

​I get together with two old buddies of mine, probably 3 or 4 times a year for a Christmas lunch, a golfing holiday in November, and maybe a lunch or two during the year, and that’s about it.  But when we do get together, the stories and memories flow like water.  It’s instant laughs and favourite stories that we probably told the last time we got together.

Oh yes, there are the favourite stories we like to tell, and I think that’s part of the bond that old friends share. We get to relive some of the special moments, even if it was so long ago that some of the details are a little foggy.  It brings back a very special feeling.

No matter how much time has passed, an old friendship will always be strong.  Whether it’s catching up on old times or sharing new experiences, there’s a very real power in a lasting relationship.  A good old friend is very special, and if you have one or two or a dozen, hang on to them.  They can’t be replaced. 

One thing I’ve started doing is picking up the phone, or sending an email to an old friend that I haven’t talked to in a while.  Just to connect again, to say hello, and to pick up where we left off.  And it feels good. 

Till next week…
Wayne

🎵  The Kitchen Dancing scene from The Big Chill.

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1 //  3 BC Musicians win at Grammies: Michael Bublé, Tobias Jesso Jr., Cellar Music Group and Kris Davis take home 2023 Grammy Awards. (pictured here is North Vancouver’s Tobias Jesso Jr.)

2 //  February 24-25th brought Steelin’ in the Years to Blue Frog, which had legendary producer Robbie Buchanan on keyboards. He is pictured here with Whitney Houston on a session for her first album, which included The Greatest Love of All. Robbie also had a cameo appearance in the new movie about Whitney’s life “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”. Go watch it.

3 //  And now for something completely different ... fans of Monty Python can do the “Silly Walk” to burn more calories daily. Huh? Click to read

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