Building a road

I remember it well. There was a field and a slight rise there that I always noticed whenever we used to drive by it when I was a child. I would be bored in the car and used to imagine someone on a dirt bike pacing us as we drove. That was one of my favorite places to watch my dirt bike rider jump. It was like that video game that I would play. He would go soaring through the air and land smoothly, so long as you didn’t let his engine overheat. I’m not sure if my parents ever understood why I would stare out the window so much when we drove. I’m not sure that it mattered to them. At least I wasn’t reading all of the road signs out loud. That was the other thing that I would do to pass the time.

I finally realized today what they are doing there. A road is being cut through that field. They have already blasted through that rise so that the road can remain level.For a brief moment I pictured the dirt bike jumping over the gap from one side of the unfinished road to the other. I wasn’t able to complete the jump. I’m the one driving the car now, so staring out the window isn’t a very safe idea. I check the rearview mirror and see my own son in the back seat. He isn’t looking out of the window. His nose is buried in a book. I love that he enjoys reading so much, but part of me was hoping to see him staring with his eyes going up and down as he imagines every jump. I know that in a few months, he will see a new road there with some buildings being put up along it. He won’t even remember what it looked like before the road started to be built. He’s young. The world is always changing for him. I guess what bothers me is that in a few months, I will see the new road and buildings being put up along it, and I may not remember what it looked like before that either.

Are you feeling old yet?

Some of you reading this blog are fairly young. Some of you reading it have a little more experience at life. All of you have already or will soon experience a moment in which someone makes you feel old. I mean ancient, ready for mummification, show up in history books, The Doctor thinks you’re one of his parents old. It will not be pleasant.

I experience this almost every day. Teaching middle schoolers is a challenge that I love, but they have no concept of age. One of my first years teaching I had students guess my age. They guessed about 45-50. I was 21 and looked like I was 17! I’ve started seeing toys I played with as a child show up in antique stores. I was born the same year as the original Star Wars movie was released, and it’s now referred to as “Classic!”

So when faced with these assaults on our youth, do we just sit back, turn on daytime television and wait for our social security to begin? That depends on whether that is what you want to do. I have known many who were elderly, honestly elderly, that I could not keep up with their level of activity. I have known teenagers that had slugs call them lazy. I’m not saying you’re as old as you feel. I’m saying that you’re as old as you want to be. Some people want more maturity, some people want to hold onto youth. Don’t let other people’s observations and limits define your age. I can be an old fogey and a little kid in the same moment. It’s loads of fun.

By the way, “Classic” Star Wars rocks! Don’t argue. Just accept it.

Also, if you recognize the style of the featured image, it says nothing about your age. Some cool things never become uncool.