So PLEASE comment...
A simple question...
What was the best age of your life.....
I can't pick... 9-ish was good... little league baseball.. whiffle ball all day with neighbor kids... kick the can (hide and seek) when the sun went down... traversing William Jewell College on the weekends... where the Chief's trained... a pretty special time of my life...
High School... 17-ish... sure, Senior year... No cares, no worries, I was drivin', I played basketball, football - friends were ALL IMPORTANT... There was a community focus on 'us' - and we weren't even aware it was "our time."
College... (Holy shit, 17-23, but who's countin')... oh you remembered.. "the best six years of my life."... Whilst I've always thought of myself as "Victor IMmature" - I knew, at this point, once this stage was over - it was on to the real deal... and I wanted to delay, prolong, avoid, the real deal as long as I could. Great, great friends... Every weekend was a party... I truly loved my fraternity brothers (rent Animal House, 'twas us).. and, for the first time in my life, I was gettin' finally laid with regularity...
Son's first few years... (33-36)the dream of being "dad" coming to fruition... By age two, we had a basketball goal hung up six foot high in the garage... him following in my footsteps as the "jack of all, master of none" in sports... we usedta go out in the garage... he'd put on his football helmet, grab the basketball.. and we played "Hut-ball" for hours on end... The miracle of linguistics between him being 18 months and 3 years was a phenonminal time... I remember holding him in my arm... outside on a hot summer night... pointing and "labeling" so he'd repeat my words... "Dog"... "Grass"... "Car"... Truck"... "Pole"... "House"... and then we cameta "Moon"... and shortly after he repeated he looked up at the streetlight and said "udder moon"... A silly, wonderful moment I will never forget..
The "they called me coach" era... 38 thru 45 or so... Basketball, baseball, soccer, you name it, we did it... NO, I wasn't the greatest help in the kitchen - but every GD (gosh darn) night we spent a MINIMUM of two hours together doing whatever sport was in season. Never a push, his will was always there - and I followed in a heartbeat. So many names, teams, kids, trips, wins, losses, tears, good times... I dunno about "the best" specific year, but the era simply rocked...
Marriage to whatshername... I'd be remiss if I didn't include this - because it was good, very good, for a long GD time... I'm talking from age 28 to age 49... There was calm, there was sharing, there was creating, there was nurturing... a lot...
Looking back, I'm thankful as hell for all of the above.. PLEASE, ADD COMMENTS.. and I don't care if the words OUTNUMBER what is written here.. This has been therapeutic to me... and GD-it.. if you do so, it could be for you too.. You know ALL ABOUT ME... time for me to learn - and for you to REFLECT... so please do so...
It's my hope, whatever age you are now is included in your list.. and if it ain't.. just think - "the best" could still be ahead.
I love you, Victurd.
2 comments:
Hey Victor,
So you want some comments about the happiest times of peoples lives huh?? Well I agree with you about the younger years, playing tag, hide and seek, Halloween going door to door for hours, playing outside with the neighbors until way past dark without a care. Just feeling loved and safe. My parents died during that time as well. My mother when I was seven and my dad when I was 12. I then went to live with my aunt. I was an only child and my aunt had seven children (good Catholic family) so some major changes there, but all was good.
High school was awesome!!! Made tons of new friends. I was a cheerleader, and have great memories of football and basketball games. Handing out ribbons (remember wearing ribbons on game days????) in the mornings and getting out of home room to do that. What fun we had running around school. I was involved in music a lot and that was truly my passion. I dated my high school sweetheart for five years and married him for ten.
We had four beautiful children together (the oldest just turned 30 yesterday). Those were the best and worst of times. I had four kids in four years and they definitely kept me on my toes!!! I was a Cub Scout leader and Cookie Chairman for the Girl Scouts (one whole room full of Girl Scout cookies every year!!!!) I taught the kids to play ball knowing I was always the last person to be picked when I was young cause I sucked at baseball!!! Loved watching the boys skateboard. Going to school plays. Just watching those kids grow was amazing!!!
I was blessed one more time in my thirties with one more child through a second marriage. What a joy she brought to everyone. All the kids would fight over her.
This last year has been awesome. I was adopted at birth and one of my birth siblings found me. Come to find out, I have three sisters and three brothers. I got to meet all but one of them and it has been great!!! I really only keep in touch with the sister who found me and it is like we have known each all of our lives!!!
I have been blessed with two grandchildren who really are the light of my life and one more on the way!!! One is here with me and she is just such a joy to watch her. She will be two in February and it's great to just sit and play with her. See her little attitude which drives her mother crazy. I wonder where she got that from????
I have truly been blessed by a wonderful live and would not change most things. I could have been bitter about a lot, but that would not have made life fun. Right now I work too much and play too little. Somehow I have to change that, but for right now, that is just the way it is.
Like they say (whoever "they" are), life is what you make of it and mine has been pretty darn good so far in my eyes. Sure, there have been down times, but the up times make up for them. I really believe the "best" is yet to come!!!
Love ya, Rae
Rae...
Thanks - a whole lot for that. I feel kinda like now I've known you my entire life... I am very sorry to learn of your folk's passing so early in your life... Kudos to your aunt and uncle for the great job they did - and kudos to you for the great job you are now doing with the little one...
I love your "could have been bitter" and then selecting to live life happy. Many many times I have to stop and remind myself it is a choice - and by golly I'm glad you've chosen the happy lane..
Love back - your comments mean the world to me... and thanks so much again, Victor
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