Stay Gold

Nothing Gold Can Stay

You may have noticed that i occasionally sign off my emails and messages with "Stay Gold" and I just wanted to explain the story behind it.

Stay Gold is from a poem from Robert Frost called Nothing Gold can Stay.  I read it out at my sister's funeral and it means a lot to me, my sister and my very dear childhood friend Nats who I grew up with.

I first read it in my favourite book of all time, The Outsiders by S E Hinton - I remember the day I discovered that book so clearly.  I was 13 at the time and on holiday in Melbourne with my parents. We went into a book shop so I could buy a book and I gravitated towards the cover of a particular book - The Outsiders.  It was the first that I ever heard of it but when I read the synopsis I was totally hooked.  That started off my obsession with The Outsiders, the brat-pack, S E Hinton books and any movie that was made from an S E Hinton novel - The Outsiders being one of them. My sister and Nats were also totally obsessed.

The Brat Pack of the 80's

If you are of that age, you will know what I'm talking about!  The movie was the big break for Tom Cruise, Ralph Macchio, C Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, Emilo Estevez and Rob Lowe.  I was madly in love with Ponyboy and my sister and Nats were in love with Sodapop (C.  Thomas Howell and Rob Lowe)

Friends that are family

For the last 40 years or so me and my bestie have signed off all our messages Stay Gold, Ponyboy or Sodapop - childish I know but it has so much meaning for us - the history and the memory of Amber.  As a side note, Nats and I grew up together and she was part of our family. Amber always said she was the third sister.

Back to the poem. It's all about the sunrises, how beautiful they are and how they are fleeting and don't last.  The poem totally resonates with me in every way - from the history of us growing up with it and the meaning behind it that I can relate to Amber - beautiful and golden but not ever-lasting.

AmberDawn - Stay Gold

This brand was born from the passing of my darling sister and so signing off as Stay Gold is very fitting.  I hope that my darling best mate doesn't mind me sharing it with the world.

Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Stay gold everyone.

Luan xxxx