When we were in the first grade I dont think any of my friends or I ever even thought about growing up or growing old, much less dying young. We thought about what was for lunch in the cafeteria and what game we were going to play on the playground.
We thought about what we were going to do after school and on the weekend and which friend we might spend the night with or which one might spend the night with us.
We thought about summer vacations to the beach. Week long camping trips at Roosevelt State Park. We thought about fishing off the pier with a homemade pole and bread balls for bait.
We thought about the food at the family reunion and whether or not we would really get the cramps if we dove into the lake before exactly 60 minutes one complete hour had passed following that lunch because that was what our momma always warned.
We worried about the tree house in the backyard and whether or not we would fall out of it if we fell asleep while daydreaming the day away. When we did fall a couple of times asleep and out of the tree we worried about getting into trouble for doing the same.
We thought about birthday parties and cooking hotdogs on sticks and about roasting marshmallows over an open fire and whether or not mom was making her homemade spaghetti for supper.
We thought about the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus and Rudolph and all those talented elves. We wondered how they did what they did and we wondered what would happen if we did creep into the living a bit too early on Christmas morn.
We thought about Vacation Bible School and wondered if the Koolaid would be any better that year or if it were the sweet cookies that really made it taste so sour. We wondered which pretty girl we would sit by in class on Monday morning. Would it be Cindy or Korby or Jane?
We thought about the long hot summer days at Grannys house in Sebastopol chasing lightening bugs in the front yard, our skin all covered in that thick red dust. We wondered what treasures we would find in the loft of the barn or in the corn crib or way back yonder in the woods.
We worried about whether or not we would wake up in time to go with Granny to take Grandaddy to work before daybreak and who we would be playing with out behind the laundromat that afternoon. And we especially wondered if the banana and grape popsicles were going to be as good as they had always been at Mr. Lamar Walters Grocery when our clothes washing was all done.
We wondered and worried about hundreds and thousands of things when my friends and I were in the first grade, but we never ever wondered, worried, or even thought about being murdered in our classroom with our teacher by our side — something that happens on a regular basis today it seems. Our children today should have a life so simple.
Heres to a happier, simpler world in 2023!
