Can you think back to that delusion you had that once you didn't have to gear up for another school year (as a student), that life was going to be really easy? My goodness, that seems like a long time ago!
From grade school to the awfulness of Middle School, and then the pressures of High School. I'm sure that's harder now than when I was in High School. Even though I went to class and worked as a waitress in a truck stop after school. (I'm sure I didn't work every night----though it seemed like it.)
In nurses' training we were up at six a.m., worked on the wards until after the morning coffee break, then we had classes until three p.m.---after which I used to collapse in bed and sleep through supper. Then we had enforced study hours until nine, and we had to be back in the residence by ten.
That doesn't leave much time for a social life. I don't think the enforced study hours lasted much longer past our class. I can't imagine that kids in the next few years buckled under to that. In order to try to have a greater percentage of the class make it past the first six months, they tried to help us have good study habits.
Now when I look back on the busy-ness of having five kids and two of us parents with jobs, and kids playing sports in a town twelve miles from our house, I think we must have had a lot of stamina. All of us.
I have finally settled into a life style that matches my energy level. Retirement suits me well. Though today I read about a woman who took up body building when she was 71.
Hmm.
I never had trouble in school, but I always dreaded its return in fall. Even now, I get an anxious feeling when I see the school bus and I feel sorry for all the poor little suckers trapped on it. I'm always intrigued when people say they were excited an optimistic when school resumed each year. I always went into mourning.
ReplyDeleteThis is why we should all have our careers/family while we're young and full of energy. And too pooped to whine about it. Today, seems that whining about how 'stressed out' the up and coming generation is, the more it irritates me. They have NO idea that most of us started out with little money. We made do. We dug in.
ReplyDeleteOff my soapbox now.
I couldn't agree more. I am enjoying my 60's more now than before. I'm more relaxed and 'let things go' more. Don't sweat the small stuff.
I guess getting older has it's payoff, right? LOVE the title of your post, too. How true that we 'turn, turn, turn'.
I was shelving away in the children's room at the library when I heard one mommy telling another one that she'd found TWO "mini" libraries, like yours, near here.
ReplyDeleteWho knew we had some!!! She was pretty excited about finding them and I was glad to hear about them.
Maybe I'll have to make a trip of exploration and see if I can find them too.
Do go check them out. It is such a treat to see somebody finding a book they'd like to read!
DeleteRetirement suits most people, they are finally able to relax and smell the coffee. To bad life requires us to work for years and years before we can retire... at least if you don't win the lottery!
ReplyDeleteThat's the truth! Sadly it seems there are people for whom even winning the lottery doesn't do the trick. If you don't know how to handle a little money, you can't handle a lot, I guess.
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