I don’t want y’all to get the wrong idea, I’m happy about my life, my wife and I are looking forward to starting a family this year, and I really enjoy my job. I am very satisfied about how my life is going.
But…
Lately I seem to be suffering from nostalgia to a greater degree than usual. I watch shows like “That 70s show” and remember what It was like to be 15-18. I remember how great it felt when adult expierences were NEW! The first time I drank a beer. The first time I felt a woman’s breast, even the first time I had sex. The thrill of getting my drivers licence, the unlimited possibilities of a full tank of gas and a weekend with no responsibilities. I remember having a part time job, and while not getting rich, it was always enough money to get by. I recall the thrill of doing something unbelieveably stupid and the hedonism of college. It just seems to me that my youth was wasted because I was too young to apreciate it. I ALSO remember that it wasn’t all wine and roses back then, and that I wanted to be older. I sit here at 1:45 on a Friday night with the full realization that I could goto the beach, drive to New York, fly to London or , God forbid, go to Flint so Cristi could whack me on the head with a mallet.( Inside joke from here) I also know that I will do none of those things. I am going to go to bed. Why is it that we as human beings seem to be cursed with the inability to apreciate what we have at the moment we have it. ( now everyone is going to post saying that its just me )
Ah, well, I’m just in a meloncoly mood tonight. I have had 3 beers and maybe I am mellowed out too much. Still, anyone who wants to reply, it will be read with interest.
Cheers!
Here it is. this thread is proof that there is a God, and he has a sense of humor. I had just posted the Op, and the radio started playing " Someday Never Comes " by CCR. It’s just the opposite of what I was posting about, but meloncoly too. I guess you lose whatever side of the equation you’re on. Don’t get the wrong idea, that song cheered me up completely. Life is even weirder than I am.
Weirddave, I hear ya. Trust me. If you were to show up in Flint, I wouldn’t hit you on the head. I’d ask you if you wanted a traveling companion!
You’re 33? I’ll be 33 this summer. So we’re having roughly the same flashbacks. But here’s my situation: Been married for four years, got two kids together, one age 3, one age 6 months. Husband has a son from a previous relationship. That son has two older sisters (not my husband’s). All five of these kids are in my house. Right now.
So, when ya leaving?
Just kidding. Having a family is really, really worth it. But it’s nice to get away. There’s a Doper rally in Toledo on April 1, if you want a short vacation! My husband and I are going, and the kids are staying with Grandma. Woohoo!
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Thanks for the kind words, Cristi. I am already going away this week to meet some friends from North Carolina for a few days, so I don’t think I’ll make it to Toledo.
I think the difference is that we are just getting ready to enter the next stage of life-being parents. ( wish I knew how to make that smiley with the hair standing up. ) We’re getting to it kinda late, so right now I’m sorta in limbo. Sounds like you got a great family. And I won’t actually be 33 'til April 12. Anyway, judgeing by the lack of posts here, it looks like you and I are the only ones to whome this feeling is common. Let me know if you decide to run away to the Frenc Rivera, and I may join you.
weirddave, I too have been feeling particularly nostalgic of late. My past has reappeared, some great, some okay, some definitely NOT okay. sigh Such is life.
I remember so many things from my high school days, my first kiss, my first crush, my first ‘heavy petting’<which was more of a fumble and grab, not much fun>, running away from home, getting my driver’s license, running out of gas <the one and ONLY time that’s happened!>, falling in love, and being too shy and insecure to tell him, thinking that I could capture the world in my pocket. I’ve been traveling down memory lane the last few weeks, and it’s actually been, for the most part, a great ride. You’re right about one thing, I didn’t appreciate what I had when I had it, in some ways, I still don’t appreciate fully what I’ve got now. And, I haven’t had any beers <never have any beers, can’t stand the taste of 'em> so, what’s my excuse? Too lonely, too much time on my hands, I guess. I miss you, my dearest heart, my one true love, so very much.
You sing in my consciousness like a counterpoint to my life.
L.L.
I’m going to turn 30 this year. Don’t get me started.
Know this though…you are not alone!
A woman needs four animals in her life: A mink in the closet, a Jaguar in the garage, a tiger in the bedroom, and an ass to pay for it all.
—Zsa Zsa Gabor
WTF was that?! All I did was hit “return” to get a line space…
Anyway (peering around nervously for computer gremlins) don’t sweat the nostalgia thing thing. You ain’t seen nuthin’ yet.
See, looking back is part of it. It’s a way of pulling past and present into sync. Don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t relive my teens and twenties for any amount you could pay me.
I’m stronger, tougher, kinder, wiser and smarter, in large part due to the blissful bonehead I was then. The seduction isn’t wanting to go back to the reality; it’s the FEELING of youth. The experience doesn’t cancel out the flashes of memory [selective memory] of wide open possibilities and bubbling, pissant, joyous zest. You’re mourning at a false funeral for the feeling that the world is your oyster and limits don’t exist.
It’s a tempering process, guys. Embrace it and enjoy it. Truth: limits are what you make of 'em, time gives you tools, and the best is yet to come–if you don’t wimp out and ossify.
::SPLAT! dead trout smacks face::
Okay, whippersnappers, now ya went and did it. Now who threw the fish??
Boy, did you hit the nail on the head. The stupid things I did and the smart things I didn’t do (and vice versa) all made me what I am now, and I wouldn’t change a minute of it.
I’ll let you in on a little secret, weirddave–becoming a parent is the most terrifying experience on earth. But it is
sooooooooooooo worth it. Oh man, you will love (almost) every minute of it!
Now, if there’s a way you could get me to the French Riviera & back without my husband noticing…
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Hey, I’m 33, married, two kids and a dog that listens to me only when it benefits her.
I don’t wax nostalgic for my teen years. I don’t wax my floors for that matter. Despite having the best body and looooong hair, I was in insecure wreck over the most stupidiest thing. ( Like we all are.) I felt and knew I was the ugly duckling then and now I am a quack…errr, swan. Albeit, sarcastic one. I can only pray that my kids have more balls that I did during my teen years, but not as big as their father who relishes ( and mustards) his teen years with enthusiastic stories.
I like being 30-ish. I didn’t mind my 20’s which I affectionately call my Piss Away the Money Years and Hey! Where Did My Waist Line Disappear, but in the last four or so years I really feel that I am starting to hit my stride.
I certainly do not miss the big hair and shoulder pad look of those years. Of it all, I miss my metabolism the most.
I ALSO remember that it wasn’t all wine and roses back then, and that I wanted to be older. I sit here at 1:45 on a Friday night with the full realization that I could goto the beach, drive to New York, fly to London or , God forbid, go to Flint so Cristi could whack me on the head with a mallet.( Inside joke from here) I also know that I will do none of those things. I am going to go to bed. Why is it that we as human beings seem to be cursed with the inability to apreciate what we have at the moment we have it. ( now everyone is going to post saying that its just me 
)