Valentine's Day. Let's Stay Together. — thehummingbirdpost.com

Feb 14

Feb 14 Valentine's Day. Let's Stay Together.

Close your eyes for a moment. Picture it… the Waverly Roller Skating Rink in Greenwich Village. 1980s.

“Everyone” is there. Couples, families with children… the famous, the not so famous. Some skaters are rough around the edges—but all were there for the “magic” that comes when you lace up your skates. Teenagers with friends. Laughing, joining arms—being broken up by the “rink” skaters who skate around to keep order. The Saturday afternoon light is bright outside, but inside the lights are dimmed. Truth be told, bright light would ruin the ambiance and expose the worn, frumpy interior. The rink was small by any standard, even paling by comparison to the one where I honed by skating skills as a child. The Levittown Rink—right next to Jahn’s.

It’s free skate the entire time at the Waverly, as I recall. But always, sometime towards the end of the session, the best, most romantic skating song ever comes on. Here it is. A vintage romance moment. The music is up, and — it’s Al Green.

All of the sudden your skating is faster, smooth and graceful. You feel the wind on your face as you glide through the air and your hair blows as you turn from forward to back at all the right musical moments…
No one is in the rink but you.

Let's stay together

I, I'm I'm so in love with you
Whatever you want to do
Is all right with me
Cause you make me feel so brand new
And I want to spend my life with you

Let me say that since, baby, since we've been together
Loving you forever
Is what I need
Let me, be the one you come running to
I'll never be untrue

Oh baby
Let's, let's stay together (gether)
Lovin' you whether, whether
Times are good or bad, happy or sad
Oh, oh, oh, oh, yeah
Whether times are good or bad, happy or sad

Why, why some people break up
Then turn around and make up
I just can't see
You'd never do that to me (would you, baby)
Staying around you is all I see
(Here's what I want us do)

Let's, we oughta stay together (gether)
Loving you whether, whether
Times are good or bad, happy or sad
Come on
Let's stay, (let's stay together) let's stay together
Loving you whether, whether times are good or bad

Al Jackson Jr., Willie Mitchell, Al Green

You unlace your skates in a blurry glow, gather up your loved ones, and walk out together into the afternoon sun.

Leave a comment

Sandra Novick

Somehow, the world cooperated as Sandra Novick steered and stumbled her career into a path that combined her interests and talents in the arts, writing, analytics and business. She admits to mostly loving her 20 years in the CMO position in banking, and to being a closet data geek. Website development called out to her, as it allowed her to integrate these disciplines. Sandra directed the development, design, infrastructure and functionality of several corporate sites.

Upon deciding to move on from banking to a new chapter, what better to do than merge professional and life challenges through founding and building a blog that would allow her to connect with and connect to each other, and you, many of the talented people she was able to surround herself with over the years?

On a personal note, Sandra is also known to be an excellent friend, a steady cook, and to enjoy fine wines, delicious food, a smart read, and good conversation. She proudly dedicates everything positive about thehummingbirdpost to her crazy smart and funny brother Jeff.