It’s been a while since I babbled to you. Covid finally caught me and knocked me out, but I’m back, and thinking let’s not do that again.
While I was recovering, I couldn’t do much more than move from the bed to the sofa and watch TV. I don’t watch much reality TV, though it’s easy to get the appeal of seeing by comparison that you’re not messing up your own life so much after all. One day there was a commercial for the Bravo show Southern Charm, and I watched a few episodes because it takes place in Charleston, South Carolina where it’s beautiful and doesn’t snow.
Watching the show reminded me of an old cliché we heard a lot growing up from “the vintage people” as my nephew calls them, that youth is wasted on the young. I’d disagree every time, because it felt vaguely insulting and also because I was an argumentative pipsqueak. I’ve thought about that cliché as the years have passed.
Getting back to the Bravo show – in my weakened Covid state (cue the violins) I found myself gasping at the TV things like “Can’t you see you don’t want the same things?” “He just admitted he has a girlfriend, walk away!” “Don’t tell her that in front of other people!” and so on. Maybe these young people wouldn’t get themselves into some of these unpleasant situations if they had blown out a few more birthday candles.
But if they knew what might be coming – sickness, loss of family, bad relationships, broken hearts, financial troubles, career frustrations – they would lose some of the optimism, recklessness, and spontaneity of youth. They would not believe they could change the world. They would not feel as free to make mistakes, love the wrong people, and let tomorrow take care of itself, if they had the adult wisdom to realize that even a seemingly insignificant choice might have a lasting effect on their lives. We’d have a world full of old young people. No thank you.
So, when I hear someone sigh that youth is wasted on the young, I say it absolutely is not, and I’m glad for that.
XO Brenda
I agree – with all the heartaches that come along as life moves ahead, if we had known, we might have been fearful to continue. It’s a wonderful thing to be young, healthy, and unencumbered, especially by regret.
Joan it took you two sentences to say what I was trying to say in a lot more! XO
You know, I never realized til now that no one in my 150 ppl family ever said that . Only my father in law as he was then in his 70’s and lost his wife. He had a full life, but I guess wanted more with her.
That makes me very happy for you and all the youngins! There was enough to get through without hearing that. What a romantic man he was. He’s missed every day. XO