Childhood Memories

Today I was playing tennis in Jacksonville, in the Pheasant Meadows neighborhood, and right beside our court a group of 10 or so elementary-school-age kids were playing flag football. While it is not out of the normal for this to happen, I must say, seeing this today was quite different. I witnessed the unbridled innocence of youth. Not that I feel old, but I must admit that seeing those kids made me long for those day in my youth, the ones free of any worries, hakunamatada. I can remember those days quite well. The old neighborhood, carriage lane; touch football, basketball, four-square, hockey- all in the streets or a neighbors yard. No homework to hinder our thoughts, or keep us indoors. Only dinnertime prevented us from embracing the freedom of sport and fellowship.

These days seem all too complicated. Weighed down by the nonsense of school and extracurricular activities, caught up in the drama of friendships, relationships and other foolishness. Back then time stood still, a day seems like it could have lasted a whole week. Now time is precious commodity, and in this autumn season it really does fly like the wind! I hate to sound like I'm complaining, I enjoy my life right now quite a bit. I have been blessed with a family and friends that truly care about me, and that I can truly care for. School has gone great, been easy, and I even did a play for the first time. I suppose things are neither better or worse than they were back in the days when I called myself a Jacksonville Pioneer, just different. Change is abound is all, almost constant. It sure would be nice if some parts of life were easy controlled....manipulated, but alas they aren't. The only thing we can do is play out our cards as they're dealt. Or is it possible to go back to that state of mind, one a child, and not worry about the cards? Will pretending that they don't exist simplify life, or cover the many answers and patterns that we have figured out about life as we develop? Who knows; I sure don't.