Can we look to a time when we will be able to wipe away the tears,
emerge from the cave, and once again play along the cherry lane?

Working out to an “Oldies” playlist, I heard the dulcet voices of Peter, Paul, and Mary singing about their favorite dragon. Taking a moment to listen (and stop grunting), the words (especially their final verse) gave me pause.

Was it about loss of friendship, childhood, connection, and innocence. If so, it wasn’t the happy bouncy song I thought I remembered.

Or was it about friendship, exploration, creativity, joy, interconnectedness, and a world built on uplifting “what ifs”?

I pulled up the song on YouTube (see the first Video Recommendation for the Week below) and listened some more. I read comments about the emotion it conjured. And the love for the song some 55 years after its recording.

One comment on the video page caught my attention with a new perspective.  It was a final verse not in the original song.  I am not sure of the origin.   In the second Video Recommendation for the Week below, Peter Yarrow actually draws from these words at the end of the clip.

Puff the Magic Dragon walked out on the Strand.
He looked down and there he saw footprints in the sand.
A voice said Mr. Dragon, please don’t be so sad.
My name is Jenny Paper. I was sent here by my dad.

Perhaps it is a song about the future, hope, mentorship, and childhood regained through a generation to come.  About passing along memories and lessons.

About a legacy of connection that cannot and should not be lost.

In this time of pandemic, lockdowns, loss of life, and unimagined dislocations, can we look to a time (in the near future) when we will be able to wipe away the tears, emerge from the cave, and once again play along the cherry lane?

For our health and the well-being of our generations to come, how can we not?

Video Recommendation for the Week

1. Peter, Paul, and Mary perform “Puff the Magic Dragon” in 1965.
2. Peter Yarrow gives the song some context and a different twist at the end.

Make it a great week and HTRB has needed.

My new book has been released.
eBook ($2.99) Paperback ($9.99). Click here.

Roxie Looks for Purpose Beyond the Biscuit.

Well, actually, my dog Roxie gets top billing on the author page for this work. Without her, there would be no story.
Click here for more information about the book.

In the meantime, check out her blog.

And you can still order:

• My book, Community as a Safe Place to Land (2019), (print and e-book) is available on More information (including seven free podcast episodes that spotlight the seven core values highlighted in the book) at www.stevepiscitelli.com.
• Check out my book Stories about Teaching, Learning, and Resilience: No Need to be an Island (2017). It has been adopted for teaching, learning, and coaching purposes. I conducted (September 2019) a half-day workshop for a community college’s new faculty onboarding program using the scenarios in this book. Contact me if you and your team are interested in doing the same. The accompanying videos would serve to stimulate community-building conversations at the beginning of a meeting.

My podcasts can be found at The Growth and Resilience Network®.

You will find more about what I do at www.stevepiscitelli.com.

©2020. Steve Piscitelli
The Growth and Resilience Network®