Every evening after supper, I sit out by the pool with my pipe and cup of coffee. Its usually pretty quiet except for the birds singing. Very serene. I always daydream into the past, primarily to one year in particular, when I was 22 and sailing on the steamer Middletown. Everything was perfect, I worked with a great crew, and we had a lot of fun. I looked forward to lay-up, like every winter before I would jump in my new Cadillac and head to Miami Beach until the company called me back for the next season. One year I drove to California to see some friends out there. Life was perfect; I would never be like any of the old men I sailed with. I would be twenty-two forever. How could I have been so wrong? I didnt take pills every morning and night to feel normal. My shoulders, hips, back and knees didnt hurt every time I moved. I had more hair than I knew what to do with. I was full of energy; I couldnt wait to jump into the day with both feet. This is who I was, and I was going to do it forever. Every day was as great as yesterday was, and tomorrow would be. I knew this every time I woke up. This was my life and I was going to do it until I died. There was never anything to worry about in the whole world. I had more money than ever. I drank and partied like there was no tomorrow. I was a happy drunk, not the cynical gloomy one I became in later years when I lost control. I didnt hate anyone or anything. I didnt hate everything I saw on the news or read in the paper. I didnt hate other drivers on the road. The slow poke in the left lane didnt bother me. I was in no hurry. None of it touched my little world. It couldnt get any better. Then one night I went to bed and during my sleep, I stepped through the looking glass and when I awoke, I was in a world I didnt recognize anymore. I was that old man I sailed with and was never going to be. And it happened so damn fast I never saw it coming. I watched my father slowly get older, but parents were supposed to get old, thats how it worked. Old people I knew then used to walk with canes and die; now my friends are walking with the canes and dying. Where in the Hell did it all go? And how do I get back there?
Posted on: Tue, 12 Nov 2013 02:18:21 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015