she sang...
"It's quarter to three, there's no one in the place except you and me
So, set 'em up, Joe, I got a little story you oughta know
We're drinkin', my friend, to the end of a brief episode
Make it one for my baby and one more for the road"
It was the end of an era. Johnny's farewell.
"I bid you a very heartfelt goodnight" was his simple closure to the on-air life of a TV legend. No one did it quite the way he did. And though many have tried, I don't know if anyone will come close to his wit and satire. His life off the screen was private, but he shared a persona that many of us grew to think of as a friend, a family member who allowed us to meet stars, hear incredible music and experience "Carnac"!
And she sang to his leaving the screen. Retiring and closing the chapter on his historic run.
Bette's Goodbye to Johnny
So at the end, what is the way you want to leave? Like the stars, we often see the production, the farewell tour, the last curtain call. But in our lives we have moments that lead to the end. They may not come with the celebration, the serenades, the lead up to the final episode, but they come for all of us.
How are you going to leave? Not thinking about death, but focusing on life. What do we leave behind? Not guests or fame, but what treasures do we leave - and which ones do we take with us?
As my Dad watches closely the closing of his own mother's life, I am drawn to think more and more about legacy. About the decisions that brought me to where I am today. The three kids that I see sleeping as I put these words down. The art, the music, the poetry that I have inside. The beliefs that I still treasure - the ones that helped me stay here just a little longer. The mountain air that I long for in my lungs. The love that I still don't know if I do right.
There is still a spark inside me, and I hope to pass some of that along to those that are closest. And there are still days - even recently - that I struggle. So I press on. I'm writing. Seeing the world closest to me and trying to grasp the lessons that I still have to learn.
so she sings...
"Well, that's how it goes.
And john i know you're getting
Anxious to close.
So, thanks for the cheer.
I hope you didn't mind me
Bending your ear.
For all of the years,
For the laughs, for the tears,
For the class that you showed,
Make it one for my baby
And one more for the road.
That long long road."
~ Bette Midler on Johnny Carson's retirement
