Hot Lips, Hawkeye, and BJ

Apparently I don’t spend nearly enough time flipping remote control channels between 5 and 7 pm. If I had spent an adequate amount of time in channel surfing I might have realized long ago that the Hallmark Channel plays M*A*S*H every day – four episodes in a row.

M*A*S*H was a staple of my childhood. The final episode aired when I was in high school. While having nothing to do with a realistic portrayal of war, M*A*S*H was a profound portrayal of relationships, humanity, and the power of connection to see us through pain.

Within 5 minutes of finding Hawkeye building a replica of the Washington Monument, I was back. Back in the memories. Back in the lessons.

Tonight I clicked in midway through the show to find Colonel Potter sending for Sidney Freedman because Hawkeye can’t stop itching. I remember the episode. I remember the story and the emotion. I remember the dialogue and the Freudian that triggers Hawkeye’s memory. And, I remember the relief – the relief of awareness, of understanding. This is what life and growth is all about – connecting the dots from the past through today so that things make sense. Integrating and reintegrating our experiences.

And, isn’t it interesting how easy it is to place some events in time? I thought that I was 13 when I first saw this episode. I hunted online and found this site - and sure enough, it aired March 16, 1981. I was 13.

Now, the only trick will be for me to learn to look at the clock and flip to M*A*S*H at 5 pm instead of 6:40...