The First 50
Kenny Chesney has a popular song out right now that is really good. It is called Don’t Blink. My wife and I were listening to it together and marveled at how profound that song was when it comes to summing up the brevity of life. The gist of the song is: Don’t blink or life will pass you by.
I remember as a kid how long an hour seemed…especially when I was in trouble. Now, ten years fly by like a day. That is pretty scary since I am in the second 50 years of my life. I know the clock is ticking and every day that passes brings me one step closer to meeting my Maker face to face. I am ready…but still, I feel like I have a lot to do before I go. I want my days to count for something.
The first fifty years were in many ways an extended childhood. When I was a kid I dreamed of being Superman. Now I AM Superman. My super power is I teach. When I was a kid I loved to watch Wonder Woman on TV. Now I am MARRIED to Wonder Woman. I call her Wonder Woman because I wonder what I ever did without that woman. ;o)
My journey to becoming an adult has been both rewarding and scary at times. Here are a couple of things I learned on the way to becoming a grown up:
- Being an adult is not all it is cracked up to be. When you are a kid you play, go to school, eat, and sleep. You have no bills and no real issues to worry about. Mom and Dad got ya covered. You get to be a kid and do kid stuff. Now, I still want to do the kid stuff but am busy working to pay the bills and playing is something I have to work into the schedule…plus I don’t have the energy I used to have.
- As a kid I always told my age in half years. I was not 5 years old. I was 5½! I wasn’t 7, I was 7½! For some reason, that half was a BIG deal…at least to me. Nobody else seemed to really notice. Now I just as soon not talk about how old I am! My advice to kids is: stay kids as long as humanly possible. You will grow up soon enough and the responsibilities will be much easier to handle as an adult if you have learned how to just be a kid first. Of course, if you are 21 or older, it is time for you to get out of the house and start your own life (i.e. Grow up!).
- The internet is making it much harder for kids to stay kids. They are exposed to things too fast to even comprehend. Parents: Please monitor what your kids see on the internet and monitor what they do on their phones. If you don’t, you will regret what happens to your kids. Innocence lost can never be reclaimed.
I have decided that I am not going to totally grow up; the reason is that kids are full of life. That is one reason why I love teaching them. They energize me. They have a hunger for learning and exploring that I never want to lose. Their innocence needs to be protected and never forgotten as adults. The next fifty years are going to be interesting as the world seems to be getting crazier by the moment. I am going to do my part to keep the world young at heart, and protect the innocence of kids as long as humanly possible. If everyone does their part in raising the kids, we will be handing over the reins to people that are prepared for the job. It does indeed take a village.
Shalom!
Dan Skognes