Wednesday, January 19, 2011

When we were very young...

     When I say that I would return to my youth in a heartbeat, well, I think that I should explain that a bit more.  I was not a girl chaser so it was not that.  I have always thought that it is more significant to make love a thousand times to one woman than a thousand women once.  It is not the carefree lazy days I miss.  I am retired and I have too many of those now.
     I miss the strength of my youth.  When I built my house I was working at the local cannery, the night shift,
twelves hours at a time.  I did that and built my house!  My last term in college I took 27 credit hours, that is like two full student's full of work AND I did those same hours at the cannery.  I got all "A's" and one "B"!
Oh I wasn't that smart.  By then I had realized that the professor's didn't really want you to learn anything, certainly not enough to get sidetracked on any issue.  I knew they just wanted me to spit it back at them and that is what I did.  There have been classes where I got "C's" where I had learned far more.  By my last term in college I just wanted to finish so I just did what was expected and got better grades for it.
     When I was young I could lift huge beams, just put them on my shoulder and walk up the ladder.  I have no strength like that now.  The strength of youth is replaced by wisdom but I am not sure it is a fair trade.
Wisdom comes with caution and a particular loss of adventure.  The horizon of life should be huge in your youth.  I have travelled a thousand miles with two dollars in my pocket.  I would go to Europe on a whim and like a rich man, stay for six months at a time.  No agenda, no itinerary, just an amble, pausing as I liked.
This is the little MG I crashed! I told that story yesterday.
    I was a virgin to everything, all was new and exciting and mysterious.  There weren't the evil drugs in those days and people were not so self destructive.  It seems that people were happier and friendlier and not so suspicious and cautious.  I bet I have hitch-hiked 100,000 miles in Europe, as far North as the reindeer go in Norway to the Southern areas of Italy and everywhere in between.  People were friendly and curious and would take you way out of their way and always feed you and offer a place to stay.  It was a time without suspicions.
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5 comments:

Rama Ananth said...

You have become the person you are now, because of what you were when you were young and learning and experiencing. So have no regrets Jerry, for your younger days have been responsible for what you are now. Enjoy whatever comes your way in the present, never look back with regret. Any day knowledge is more important than strength.

Maundering mutterer said...

One is strong when young in order to get out of the trouble one's lack of wisdom may lead one to!

Mind you, judging from your posts, you were never particularly un-wise even when young - so you must be ultra-wise now!

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Autumn Leaves said...

Look at that hair, Jerry! I am with you on the loss of strength. I used to do gymnastics, get on the floor and play with the kids, run...Now my knees hurt and I'm hobbling most of the time. My weight has gone up (hard to face when always a slim person) and I can't play on the playground with the grandkids either (I tried it not long ago and fell off things twice and hurt myself!). I'm 51 and feel 81. And to stay on topic, something you said about gaining wisdom and losing strength. I think too that as I've gained wisdom, I've lost hopes and dreams. Yeesh. Maybe it is me and I'm just naturally melancholy. And appropriately enough, my security word is "aiged!"