Fifty years ago I was fifteen. What an amazing statement. How many I have known that couldn't make such a claim. Having a birthday does return some perspective to our lives if we are paying attention. It is so easy to get lost in your own thoughts and feelings that you forget about others. It is also easy to gain a sense of entitlement by virtue of the passing years. I have been guilty of both actions and suspect I will be again. But this morning I was just thinking, fifty years ago I was fifteen.
Much has changed in the world and in technology since 1968. A great deal of it I take for granted and a great deal of it I complain about. I'm certain it has always been that way, each succeeding generation adopting the technology presented to it, aging a bit and then longing for the good old days. And my good old days where in the 1960's. I think from age 12 to 15 is the sweet spot. Old enough to enjoy some independence, young enough to not have a great deal of responsibilty. Still learning about " new " things in the world, exciting things, but able to use the immature excuse when necessary. In 1968 I was still riding a bicycle as my primary means of transportation, no insurance to pay, no gas to buy. All I needed was a little spending money, money I could earn from various sources. Then when I had made " enough " I would go off to enjoy it. Ah, the good old days indeed. Living the life of a vagabond. Well, at least in spirit I was, Mom and Dad provided a fine home and plenty to eat. I did work and earn a few dollars here and there, moving about and the seasons did effect all of that. Cutting grass, raking leaves or shoveling snow! There was plenty to do for the savvy vagabond.
I do remember when15 was old. At least I thought it was. It is that memory that prompted my statement, fifty years ago I was fifteen. Now, I have grandchildren that age and older. They are feeling rather grown up and I can't help but smile about that. That is one thing that never changes over time, the human experience. That is life, the human experience. There was nothing before it, and the majority of us pray for something beyond it. The range of emotions hasn't changed, nor the interpretation of those emotions. Man has sought ways to explain them, ways to control them and ways to avoid them, all with relative success. Time is the great equalizer. Time waits for no man is an old adage and the truth of that statement is irrefutable. The secret is to be comfortable in your time.
When is your time? There are times I long for the good old days and at others times I long for whatever the future holds. The reality is I'm alive today. You do have to learn to be comfortable with the moment. The difficult part is in realizing each moment does not belong to you. It all speaks to purpose. I do believe each of us has a purpose, a reason to be in this time. When we have completed the purpose, our time is over. That's why we don't know how much time we have. To know that would be to know the purpose, the objective. And in knowing that, the outcome would be changed. Of course you could say, there is always a next time, always has been. Will we be aware of the next time? That is why we pray. Fifty years ago I was fifteen.
Much has changed in the world and in technology since 1968. A great deal of it I take for granted and a great deal of it I complain about. I'm certain it has always been that way, each succeeding generation adopting the technology presented to it, aging a bit and then longing for the good old days. And my good old days where in the 1960's. I think from age 12 to 15 is the sweet spot. Old enough to enjoy some independence, young enough to not have a great deal of responsibilty. Still learning about " new " things in the world, exciting things, but able to use the immature excuse when necessary. In 1968 I was still riding a bicycle as my primary means of transportation, no insurance to pay, no gas to buy. All I needed was a little spending money, money I could earn from various sources. Then when I had made " enough " I would go off to enjoy it. Ah, the good old days indeed. Living the life of a vagabond. Well, at least in spirit I was, Mom and Dad provided a fine home and plenty to eat. I did work and earn a few dollars here and there, moving about and the seasons did effect all of that. Cutting grass, raking leaves or shoveling snow! There was plenty to do for the savvy vagabond.
I do remember when15 was old. At least I thought it was. It is that memory that prompted my statement, fifty years ago I was fifteen. Now, I have grandchildren that age and older. They are feeling rather grown up and I can't help but smile about that. That is one thing that never changes over time, the human experience. That is life, the human experience. There was nothing before it, and the majority of us pray for something beyond it. The range of emotions hasn't changed, nor the interpretation of those emotions. Man has sought ways to explain them, ways to control them and ways to avoid them, all with relative success. Time is the great equalizer. Time waits for no man is an old adage and the truth of that statement is irrefutable. The secret is to be comfortable in your time.
When is your time? There are times I long for the good old days and at others times I long for whatever the future holds. The reality is I'm alive today. You do have to learn to be comfortable with the moment. The difficult part is in realizing each moment does not belong to you. It all speaks to purpose. I do believe each of us has a purpose, a reason to be in this time. When we have completed the purpose, our time is over. That's why we don't know how much time we have. To know that would be to know the purpose, the objective. And in knowing that, the outcome would be changed. Of course you could say, there is always a next time, always has been. Will we be aware of the next time? That is why we pray. Fifty years ago I was fifteen.
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