Sunday, April 29, 2012

Innocence of Youth


The innocence of youth ..... that time of your life when the present was all that mattered, when problems could be easily forgotten while spending times with best friends, and a time when the thought of anything "bad" happening was a fleeting moment of thought only in the far back tunnels of our minds. We lived, and we laughed and we enjoyed each others company. Our lives were all ahead of us, our future looked like it went on forever, and we had more days to look forward to than we had to look back on. Oh, such a moment in time -- and a wish for a chance to relive that feeling, if only that could be found as the prize on a scratch off lottery card.

This picture is of my 2 friends back during that time, Helen in the foreground, Linda in the background. We vacationed together often, and this shot is from one such vacation we spent in 1982. We packed our bags, and we packed the car and we drove into upstate NY - far up by the canadian border. And we spent 2 weeks together having fun. It was a simpler time - no cell phones, no internet. There seemed like there was nothing we 3 musketeers couldn't handle.

But that was then, and time marched on. We 3 drifted apart, for reasons I can't even describe. It just happens, I suppose. Interests change, lifestyles change - and we grow up, and we take on different challenges. We care for sick parents, sick siblings, sick selves. We take on challenges of time, of money and of existence. And slowly, the days ahead of us become less in number as the days to look back on increase. But, we figure, there is always time..............

This past weekend I learned that Helen passed away. One does not die of natural causes while in their 50s, so I assume she had been sick. I only hope she did not suffer. The short obituary said nothing except a basic outline of her family members and Helen's date of death.  How sad that one's life can be summed up in a single paragraph of who's who in the family & the date of your last breath. I would have hoped there would have been more to describe her life and herself, but I'm guessing the family preferred to remain private.

I've been lost in thought since I heard the news. First, I was shocked, then saddened. And now, a sort of melancholy nostalgic mood has taken over me. I remember our times back then, and I recall our hopes & promises. And how we never gave a thought to the hard times, we just lived and laughed. And none of us could have guessed back then, that any of us would lose our lives so early. Because, you see, we always thought there was time......

Hug someone today, let them know what they mean to you. Do it spur of the moment, out of the blue - a surprise. But let them know, because, in reality, there isn't always time.




1 comment:

Autumn Leaves said...

I am so sorry you lost an old friend, Nancie. Your words are so very true too. I am often caught up in the dying side of life these days, every phone ring plunging me into fear.

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