Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Oh, To Be Young Again
It seems as if it were yesterday...O.K., maybe the day before. I was young, and everything held a new fascination and promise of adventure. Mom made the meals, and Dad made the living. Other than school, I was free to explore, wonder and grow. I was free to indulge in anything, no matter how silly it might seem at the time.They say that inside every old man is a young man wondering what the hell happened? Suddenly, as if over night, muscle aches that should have passed in a day now last for weeks. Fences that once could be conquered with ease appear like the walls of a fortress. Sleep, the arms of Morpheus, becomes elusive at times and often does not hold the promise of rest.

To be sure, there are rewards and joys that can only be known at the later stages of life. Ego gets a rest while enjoying the accomplishments of children and grand children become most important. Seeing the "big picture" and not being niggled to death by small social snafus is another benefit of being in with the AARP crowd. All in all, this is the best time of life in so many ways. Still, it is sometimes hard to believe that a happy soul can existin such a crappy body.

Paddle safe...
DS
x

6 comments:

DaveO said...

The 'free to wander' was a great point. Now it seems that every summer moment must be organized with camps, sports, scouts, etc. All we had was Little League and that ended early summer. Lots of great outdoor time to build an appreciation of woods and waters. I can't help but think that a critical missing piece these days.

Most people accuse me of having a mental age of about 14...if only my body would match that!

Silbs said...

Amen, brother.

JohnB said...

Time (aka age) does take it's toll on us -- but I feel really good and am in better shape now than I was 25 years ago. 25 years ago I doubt that I could have crawled into the backseat of a car (well I did but not going there . . .) to hold C-spine on a driver while she was immobilized by my partner and a Milwaukee firefighter. At the same time one of our guys came in through the window of the door on the other side of the car and joined me in the backseat to hold C-spine on the driver's daughter. There we were 3 ambulance crews an engine company, 5 patients, and 2 guys in the back seat of a small car squating down in the best position we could get -- 25 years ago I probably wouldn't be able to move after that. But then there was the actual removal from the car onto a backboard and into the ambulance, and then I had to tend to the 1 year old that had been unrestrained in the back seat between his two slightly older sisters.

Fortunately, no one turned out to be seriously injured, but we took all the precautions, treated them well and got them safely to the hospital.

Better yet, I woke up this morning, got out of bed and did my morning stretching -- all still works. Now for a day of boring sitting in a cubicle -- that's crappy!!! Can't wait for lunch-time -- Caribou here I come!!!

Silbs said...

Damn, JB: you write such good comments, so why aren't we seeing more of your great blogs? :o)

derrick said...

Funny, I was wandering the yard yesterday and thinking about time passing. How the trees I've planted keep getting bigger, how everything else keeps falling apart if you don't maintain it. The thought that all things new go from shiny to faded rolled through my head. Of course I did'nt have any real conclusions, opinions or answers. The thoughts just rolled around. . then slipped away.

SandyBottom said...

Not all seems to continue to be working for me as I age, and certainly not as well as before, but thank goodness, with age I seem to appreciate and enjoy what does work so much more than ever before. It's all a balancing act.
Dawn