Youth and Maturity.

Yes, out walking again. When I was a kid I used to walk because I didn't own a car and did not know how to drive. Oh what fun that was. Walking everywhere and all of the things I saw. Now as I am older I drive a lot. I go to places that I could not go on foot. Oh, the places I have seen.

This past weekend my wife and I witnessed an occurrence that left me philosophical. We were walking home from the grocery store. Our store is up a short hill from our house. The driveway to the grocery store enters from a private road that runs down the hill. On the side of the hill is an apartment complex, the driveway to which branches off the private road at an angle and flattens out in the front of the apartments. The hill rises maybe twenty feet from our street over the length of maybe two hundred yards. It is a very gentle and gradual climb.

I mention this hill because my wife and I walk up the hill every time we walk to the store. It used to be a grueling climb. (OK, we were out of shape). We take the sidewalk along the main road which is across a green lawn about 20 yards wide from the private road. It is a much better walk these days.

The past few times we have gone there have been skateboarders out. Not out skateboarding, doing tricks, but just riding down the hill on the private road. It is a nice ride.

The other day we started our walk home with our two bags of groceries and I heard a shopping cart following us. I glanced around and saw an older gentlemen pushing the cart with his groceries. He was about 60ish and in decent shape. Still he looked like it was... a chore... for him to push the cart. The cart had a small amount of groceries in it but it had enough weight to make it a chore to hang onto to keep it from rolling down the private road. I watched this guy as we cut across the grass to the sidewalk and our route home. I knew where he was going (the apartments) and that he would be home soon.

It was then that it occurred to me about youth and maturity. It is a shame that we (well some of us) lose our ability to have fun. I am reminded of Mary Poppins, "For every job to be done/ there is an element of fun." I thought that this whole "chore" would have been a whole lot easier for the guy if he just hopped on the foot rest of the cart and let it roll down the hill. He could have had a great ride. He could have been home in seconds and with little energy expended had he just wanted to have fun. I remarked to my wife that that is the difference between youth and maturity. A kid would have hopped on the cart and ridden it home, but the older gentlemen had a certain maturity to maintain. He could not ride the cart home. Or maybe the thought never occurred to him to "have fun". Too bad.

Now, you can ask my wife. She will tell you that, even though I am 50 years old, I would have ridden that cart down the hill. I might have crashed it into a bush, or fallen off trying to stop it, but as I fell and skinned my knee, or went rolling across the grass, I would have been laughing my head off. And I would have made my wife laugh. She sometimes marvels at how stupid I can be. But what fun I would have had. Fun, maturity? I would rather have fun. I guess I am still a kid at heart. I love to laugh and have fun.

Go out and have some fun.

David.