Turn Around

Back in the mid-1960s, one of my favorite shows was Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color, which aired on Sunday nights. It featured specials like Disneyland After Dark (with stars of the day performing at Disneyland), serials like The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh and Gallagher, and Disney movies and cartoons. My most vivid memory from that show, however, was not a program but a commercial by one of the shows biggest sponsors: Kodak.

The ad was wonderfully simple: a collage of photos accompanied by a folk song, which combined to tell the story far better than any ad copy ever could. It began with a photo of a baby and these lyrics:

"Where are you going, my little one, little one

Where are you going, my baby, my own

Turn around and you're two

Turn around and you're four

Turn around and you're a young girl going out of the door"

As the music played, a sequence of photos showed the baby growing up, into a toddler, then a young girl, a teen, an adult, and finally a mother.

"Where are you going, my little one, little one
Little dirndls and petticoats, where have you gone?
Turn around and you're tiny
Turn around and you're grown
Turn around and you're a young wife with babes of your own"

A generation compressed into two minutes. I was a young teen when the ad aired, and the song and images have stayed with me all these years. Watch the ad and I think you'll see why. Here it is on YouTube.

In a move designed to sell cameras and film, Kodak dispensed a priceless bit of wisdom: The seasons of life change quickly, so make the most of every moment. I'm sure we all know this to be true, but our everyday urgencies have a way of crowding to the front of the line. So today's entry is as much a reminder to me as it is an encouragement to you: treasure your family and friends every day; they are life's richest blessing!