Eighteen

A common phrase among old people is, "boy, I’d like to be eighteen again and know what I know now." Which presents another one of my never ending questions, "would you really?"

If you were magically transformed to way - way - back then, how would it be different. Oh, you would know a lot more about sex, but then you’d also know sex isn’t what makes the world go around. OK, it did at eighteen. But you would know what the consequences are and you would know you can’t build a life on it.

You would know that sooner or later, you would have to get a job and work everyday. That’s a terrible truth to have to deal with at that age. And, you would know that being treated fairly isn’t always or maybe never going to happen.

How much fun would you have if you knew, the ones you love the most would hurt you more than you could have ever imagined at eighteen. Could you ever love and trust?

Eighteen is for fun, and there would be no fun if you knew what you know now. How many of the same mistakes you’ve made be repeated even though you know what the outcome would be?

Nope, not me. I don’t want to do it over because I would probably make a bigger mess than I did then. I like being old and grumpy. You get away with a lot of things you couldn’t have gotten away with at eighteen and some of the scars are starting to heal.

PMO
©2010