Europe in 1946-47 - waking up from the nightmare that was WWII, their cities in rubble and still smoldering from the hellish aftermath of unforgettable suffering - had no choice but to harness the impossible will to survive and persevere through uncertainty, doubt and despair.
"La Vie en Rose" was a song written (lyrics) by Edith Piaf, the melody composed by Marguerite Monnot and Louis Guglielmi as an uplifting motivation for the grieving and desperate people of post war-Europe. It made Edith Piaf an international singing sensation when she sang and recorded it in 1947. It was translated into English in 1950 by Mack David. Three American singers recorded different versions including one by Bing Crosby in 1950 that reached the top of the charts in the U.S.
Literally the song is translated from French as "Life in Pink". Later, the literal translation evolved into, "Life in rosy hues", but today we know it from its more popularly appropriate iteration, "Life seen through rose-colored glasses".
No matter what our situations are, life - our lives and the lives of others around us - can be viewed in many different shades of color. In fact, our daily experiences alone are a panoply of sights, sounds and impressions taken through numerous colored lenses. By the time just before we drift to sleep and we care to review our experiences of the day, we find that our mental camera had taken pictures in different angles - wide, close up, different aperture, exposures, speed, black and white and in color - some we care to archive in our memory, others we discard, others we highlight as worth reviewing from time to time.
Such was the case for me just last week. I was in line to fill up my vehicle at a multi-bay filling station. There are two pumps per bay and I was behind a pick up truck at the second pump where a car in front of it was at the first pump up front. A young black man by the pick up truck was pulling out his wallet to start the self service transaction. However, I noticed him go back inside his truck. The car in front of him had just pulled away, having finished its fill up. Then I realized the young black driver started his truck to move to the now empty slot vacated by the car in front so I could pull into the second station. I could have waited. That young man who clearly did not have to do what he did just proved that every now and then from all the droplets of ordinary events that make up the human experience, one of them does sparkle from time to time. It sparkled so brightly I thanked him twice and a third more just before he finished filling his truck. I wanted him to know I noticed what he did. He just smiled and waved as he entered his truck. The other driver at the next bay noticed it too and said, "That was mighty nice of him".
You see, it was not necessary for the young man to move his truck. I, and anyone in my place, would not have faulted him if he didn't move his truck. Anyone would have just waited. By the way, I could not have gone around his truck because there was a barrier between bays. What he did reminded me of one of my favorite quotes that also became the title of one of my musings, about people doing things beyond what is necessary. The quote was, "For kindness begins where necessity ends" (a quote from Novelist Amor Towles)
After my fill up I proceeded to the grocery store nearby. I was smiling at everyone coming out of the store. I felt light and good about life. I was literally looking at everything around me through "rose colored glasses".
Some may consider the quote a little too naive but most agree that it says more about looking at life more positively or maintaining a positive view of the world despite some of the gloominess that one might see. "Rose colored glasses" are what optimists wear. Dark glasses are what pessimists use inside a movie theater to watch, "It Happened One Night", in black and white that starred Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable - an old romantic-comedy made in 1934 - because they thought it was a horror flick. Optimists are wont to watch the colorized version of "It's a Wonderful Life".
Seriously, studies have shown that those who engage in hobbies like gardening, growing plants or building things generally have a positive outlook in life and who do well when faced with adversity. I guess folks who expect a seed to sprout and grow into a plant one day or look forward to a flower to bloom or for fruit to ripen must have a positive view of the present and the future. Otherwise, what is there to look forward to? That was the message of "La Vie en Rose".
Rather than go through more words from the idle mind, you may listen to both the original French recording of the song. Try to immerse yourself in the time of post-war Europe. That's the first link below. Just copy the link and transfer it to your search bar and click. You can skip the ad when prompted. The second link for the younger generation is one sung by Lucy Thomas in English and lyrics shown in close caption.
By Lucy Thomas (link below):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yI3bOKIZKk
By Edith Piaf (link below)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPU8mENUBXk
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