‘Enjoy Yourself’
An uncle’s favorite song plays on in her mind
Though she’s now in her 70s, Gail Bobrowitz vividly recalls her Uncle Louie’s joyful performance of “Enjoy Yourself” when visitors came to his home. The song stuck with her, though its lessons have changed over the decades.
I vividly remember my Uncle Louie when I was young, perhaps 5 years old. He was married to my mother’s sister. They lived two doors down the street. His wife, my Aunt Gussie, was my favorite of the aunts. I guess the reason was that she was always nice to me. Uncle Louie was a nice-looking man who was very jovial. He played the piano by ear, never having had a lesson in his life. He couldn’t read music but would play and entertain everyone whenever we were together. There was one song that stuck in my head. It was his theme song, and he would always play it when there was an audience for him to entertain. I think the title was “Enjoy Yourself.” He would sing it out with such gusto, and everyone would join in. As little as I was, I knew the words:
Enjoy yourself; it’s later than you think
Enjoy yourself while you’re still in the pink
The years go by as quickly as a wink
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think.
Perhaps there was another stanza or two, but this is what I remember. I have never heard the song sung by anyone else or anywhere else.
Even today, at 78, I remember him and that song so well.
Oddly, I don’t remember too much more about my uncle. He had several jobs. I only remember him candling eggs. Ever heard of that? I used to visit this place where he performed that tedious job. He would sit before a bright light and pass raw eggs across the screen in front of the light. He looked for “bad” eggs with blood spots or other abnormalities. He would carefully place the good eggs into a carton. When he had finished the process with the eggs he had, he would transport them in his old dilapidated car and deliver them to customers. I believe the eggs came straight from the poultry farms, but I can’t be sure. I know he did that for a while, but I can’t imagine him doing it for years. I thought it was cool, and sometimes he would take a break if I was there and let me candle the eggs.
Why does it paint such a vivid memory in my head? I suppose because he was a joyous person. Even though he had no formal education and never made much money. My aunt and uncle lived nicely and had very little.
Another reason the scene of him playing that song sticks in my mind is that he didn’t live to old age. He died of lung cancer, and the image of his lungs no longer being pink stayed with me. I always made that association.
The meaning of that song has changed over the years. When he passed away, I stopped thinking of it as joyous. It just said to me, “Hurry up, hurry up!” The question became, “Hurry what up?” Do everything faster, accomplish more than possible? When could you slow down and enjoy, or how can you rest? It’s later than you think!
I look at the song today from a 78-year-old’s perspective. Enjoy yourself; you have today! Even if you aren’t feeling well or something dire is facing you, you have today! I know it can be challenging to find something to enjoy, and it doesn’t have to be monumental or essential. Of all the silly things, I recently discovered a place with pinball machines to play. I loved it as a kid, and I found out I still do! I don’t want to compete in tournaments. I just want to play. Each three or four balls is a new challenge. I can take it for about an hour at a time. It’s somewhat tiresome to stand for a long time at a machine. I do my little session and then come home feeling relaxed and joyous!
When Covid made us all uneasy about socializing, and many things were closed, I found solace in writing. I had stories to tell, figments of my imagination. I set a goal of writing a book. I didn’t have a particular story, but the rest flowed when I was inspired to start. I took experiences from my life and the lives of people I worked with. I added some horrendous headlines from the news.
Surprisingly, I created a book! I have written 14 books in the years since then. I deleted a few and have let some sit so I can look at them fresh, later. I started some ideas and deleted them. Some ideas were too close to others’ stories already written.
Three are published, and the fourth should be out momentarily. I saw the cover today, designed by my son-in-law, and it is fabulous. The fifth is at the editor’s, and the other two will likely follow. When the first book was published, I set a goal of publishing seven books.
“Is it later than I think?” I am not quite “in the pink,” I’m a realist; it’s late. But it isn’t over yet. With that perspective, I can say it is joyous! I am indeed enjoying myself.
Enjoy the classic Doris Day version of the song for yourself!
Read more like these memories and life lessons and other contributions from Boomer readers in our
Do you have your own stories you’d like to share with our baby boomer audience? View our writers’ guidelines and e-mail our editor at Annie@BoomerMagazine.com with the subject line “‘From Our Readers’ inquiry.”
