Reflections Of, The Way Life Used To Be...
“So many faces in and out of my life, some will last
Some will just be now and then.
Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes;
I'm afraid it's time for goodbye again.
Moving on is a chance you take anytime
You try to stay together (Whoa).
Say a word out of line, you'll find that the friends
You had are gone, forever, forever.”
--Billy Joel, from the song “Say Goodbye to Hollywood,” from the album Songs In The Attic, 1980.
I have lately felt like I have a bit of a wanton spirit. I am not sure why, but perhaps the stroke (and its aftermath and doctor visits) and being home for so long has made me feel somewhat nostalgic for my friends from my past. Lots of things have changed in my milieu lo these past three months.
Perhaps joining Facebook was a cause, as I see familiar faces from a time that was so much simpler and my life was so much less reliable on responsible behavior. Gas money was paid for, I had no mortgage, and food was free. My biggest worries revolved around what to wear, where to meet the friends, who to date, and what jokes to make.
With the times, values change, as we grow older. In three years I will have my thirtieth high school reunion. I will be almost fifty for goodness sake.
It is the curse, I think, of the history teacher. We, as Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull sang, “are living in the past…” and somewhere along the line, we want our youth back. I believe in my personal life of looking to the future.
I have a wonderful life ahead with Jen, I have a firm foundation in the past, and I have lived through some truly miraculous medical events. It scared me as well as made me appreciate people, places, events, cats, and things. So in my journey of the mind, my doctors warned me that boredom might set in and sometimes we are our own worst enemy. It is true, as I have reflected during this time off, I wonder how I will handle retirement. I think I may be bored, so I have to start writing my book, so I can write a few sequels along the way by then.
During my hiatus from teaching, I have fallen into some routines. I stir up the comments section of my local papers by supporting Obama and bashing the right wing; it is soooo fun. I watch Judge Judy and Keith Olberman as often as I can when I am home. I see Jen when she is not working at one of her two jobs. I read old comics. I prepare for next year’s classes, and I probably bug the crap out of old friends and current ones, talking on the phone and emails and the like.
So if I have bugged you, consider an emotional residual affect of the stroke, not my being my usual insecure and bored self. Thanks for understanding. Personally, I think I am having a middle-aged crisis. I wonder if I should go buy a Porsche or something?
Anyhow, every doctor has said the “wanton spirit” will go away once I start working in the five or six weeks when school begins. In the meantime, I will try to remain focus.
I sought and found some refuge in the Book of Psalms in the Bible. Among my favorite thoughts or teachings, if you will, and a path that I would like to live by is from Psalm 106, verse Three: “Blessed are they who maintain justice, who consistently do what is right.” I guess I am resigned to the idea that I need balance and I will be more fair and more even-handed in my future.
The picture above is of two of my closest friends and two guys I have known as coworkers, but with all respect I can afford, I call TRUE EDUCATORS. Milt on the left, Mike in the center, and me from Mike’s son’s wedding last weekend. The three of us have shared many laughs, a few tears, great respect, and a sense of purpose for each other. These are the guys who have saved my sanity at work on more than a few occasions. I hope they can say the same of me. Milt’s retired, Mike announced he will be parting to retirement in four years, and I have about thirteen. “So many faces in and out of my life, some will last, some will just be now and then,” indeed.
Some will just be now and then.
Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes;
I'm afraid it's time for goodbye again.
Moving on is a chance you take anytime
You try to stay together (Whoa).
Say a word out of line, you'll find that the friends
You had are gone, forever, forever.”
--Billy Joel, from the song “Say Goodbye to Hollywood,” from the album Songs In The Attic, 1980.
I have lately felt like I have a bit of a wanton spirit. I am not sure why, but perhaps the stroke (and its aftermath and doctor visits) and being home for so long has made me feel somewhat nostalgic for my friends from my past. Lots of things have changed in my milieu lo these past three months.
Perhaps joining Facebook was a cause, as I see familiar faces from a time that was so much simpler and my life was so much less reliable on responsible behavior. Gas money was paid for, I had no mortgage, and food was free. My biggest worries revolved around what to wear, where to meet the friends, who to date, and what jokes to make.
With the times, values change, as we grow older. In three years I will have my thirtieth high school reunion. I will be almost fifty for goodness sake.
It is the curse, I think, of the history teacher. We, as Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull sang, “are living in the past…” and somewhere along the line, we want our youth back. I believe in my personal life of looking to the future.
I have a wonderful life ahead with Jen, I have a firm foundation in the past, and I have lived through some truly miraculous medical events. It scared me as well as made me appreciate people, places, events, cats, and things. So in my journey of the mind, my doctors warned me that boredom might set in and sometimes we are our own worst enemy. It is true, as I have reflected during this time off, I wonder how I will handle retirement. I think I may be bored, so I have to start writing my book, so I can write a few sequels along the way by then.
During my hiatus from teaching, I have fallen into some routines. I stir up the comments section of my local papers by supporting Obama and bashing the right wing; it is soooo fun. I watch Judge Judy and Keith Olberman as often as I can when I am home. I see Jen when she is not working at one of her two jobs. I read old comics. I prepare for next year’s classes, and I probably bug the crap out of old friends and current ones, talking on the phone and emails and the like.
So if I have bugged you, consider an emotional residual affect of the stroke, not my being my usual insecure and bored self. Thanks for understanding. Personally, I think I am having a middle-aged crisis. I wonder if I should go buy a Porsche or something?
Anyhow, every doctor has said the “wanton spirit” will go away once I start working in the five or six weeks when school begins. In the meantime, I will try to remain focus.
I sought and found some refuge in the Book of Psalms in the Bible. Among my favorite thoughts or teachings, if you will, and a path that I would like to live by is from Psalm 106, verse Three: “Blessed are they who maintain justice, who consistently do what is right.” I guess I am resigned to the idea that I need balance and I will be more fair and more even-handed in my future.
The picture above is of two of my closest friends and two guys I have known as coworkers, but with all respect I can afford, I call TRUE EDUCATORS. Milt on the left, Mike in the center, and me from Mike’s son’s wedding last weekend. The three of us have shared many laughs, a few tears, great respect, and a sense of purpose for each other. These are the guys who have saved my sanity at work on more than a few occasions. I hope they can say the same of me. Milt’s retired, Mike announced he will be parting to retirement in four years, and I have about thirteen. “So many faces in and out of my life, some will last, some will just be now and then,” indeed.
posted by Eric Sweetwood at 4:17 PM
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