So....I went to Memphis

I have now been on both Beale and Bourbon Streets. I was petrified on Bourbon Street. It was in the evening, though early, and I was stunned by the interesting collection of people, music, bars, stores and wild assortment of mardi gras beads. I was very glad we were no longer on Bourbon Street and into the park where I saw normal people again.

Beale Street reminded me a little of a street in Disney World from the car. Once I was out of the car and on the street it was a lot less Disney and a lot more like Pleasure Island or whatever the name of that place Pinocchio went off to instead of school and became a donkey. I was a little afraid of becoming a donkey myself, but I don't think I succumbed. I did go to the Hard Rock Cafe where I learned it was Elvis Week. In fact, when the very nice man was seating me, he asked if I was there for Elvis week and I said....is it Elvis week? And he said, apparently you aren't here for Elvis week. Which was really a shame since they had this nonstop video of Elvis at all different ages and stages singing with various people and various bands and little interviews of people talking about their experiences with Elvis. Before long I noticed a couple of ladies having their picture taken with a very bad Elvis impersonator and realized he was tending bar.

That was a lot of Elvis for a non Elvis fan. I have been thinking through the Elvis fascination. I had lunch with about twenty seniors from my church yesterday. We discussed this at length and one of the ladies said something I thought profound. They said he was much more popular dead than he had been alive. This is worth considering, really.

What makes someone so popular and really legendary after they are dead? I guess once you are dead people try not to think bad things of you. We are told as a sign of respect never to speak ill of the dead, so perhaps once we only have good things to say, maybe we realize how many good things there were. Maybe once we can no longer make mistakes we appreciate that they really weren't that big a deal to begin with. Maybe.

Maybe we don't have to wait until someone is dead. Maybe.