Words From the Past and Love

A quick reflection

Photo by Alex Gorham on Unsplash

A while back, I was told I looked snazzy. I had trouble responding; I was speechless. I hadn’t heard that word in over fifty years. It was meant to be a compliment.

Snazzy means stylish in a bright, lively, eye‑catching way — the kind of style that’s a little flashy, a little bold, and meant to get attention.

It didn’t take long to realize that snazzy is one of many words and phrases that were commonplace in the sixties but rarely used today.

Words and phrases such as snazzy, freak me out, peace, groovy, dig it, sock it to me, psychedelic, and the mention of Andy Warhol have been culturally shifted to the back of our vocabulary.

And rightfully so, as the inverse also works.

In the sixties, we didn’t talk about laptops, social media, cell phones, YouTube, TikTok, Netflix, Google, apps, and cybersecurity. The words and technology didn’t exist.

That’s why it was so shocking to hear the word snazzy. A vocabulary relic from deep within the sixties, that I personally never use.

I quickly recovered and shifted the conversation to the sixties and seventies.

It was fun talking with somebody who remembered The Smothers Brothers, Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, and why the collection of early TV shows was so wholesome and fun.

We reminisced about Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather while remembering the political turmoil of the sixties, the effects of the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, and why Woodstock was more than a music festival.

We laughed about the craziness of The Gong Show and Mork and Mindy. We questioned how Arthur C. Clark and Stanley Kubrick were ahead of their time with the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. We remembered how much we enjoyed Star Trek, Star Wars, and Battlestar Galactica.

We laughed about how much we enjoyed Annie Green Springs wine, Everclear-infused punch, and the excitement from drinking our first bottles of Bartles and Jaymes wine coolers.

Romantic dinners meant an evening at the local Steak and Ale, with its all-you-can-eat salad bar, teriyaki-marinated steaks, and stuffed baked potatoes. Midnight snacks meant a quick drive to Jack in the Box and placing large orders for tacos, fries, and onion rings.

We were in sync with our memories. I was having a good time. And it all started with the word ‘snazzy.’

But then, with a startle, I woke up. I had been dreaming. A cold sweat on a warm, humid night dotted my forehead.

The left side of my bed was empty, and my room was quiet and comforting.

There was no one there that I had been talking to. My dreamy conversation was a memory of various conversations I had with my wife, who had passed away 8 years prior. My dream was a reflection of our many decades together.

My grief faded years ago, but I’ve allowed my memories to live on in eternity.

Something that night opened a portal into my soul, triggering a vivid dream of my wife. One that I’ll remember for many years.

© 2026 All rights reserved, LJ Bentch