Is there an age or year of your life you would re-live?
We all have those moments, years or decades we’d love to revisit. Times comprised of wild adventures, good health, good financial status, family presence or memorable romance(s).
I love my family and thankfully they were easily accessible every period in my life. If I wanted to re-live any times based on their presence, it would definitely be the 70s, when I was a child and most all of them were there.
Financially, it would be my 40s, when I was on top of my game in the working world as a Corporate Safety Director.
But if I had to chose a specific age or year, each would both be near the same times.
My best age was at year 20, in 1988. I was still a bit slender that year, but was in the best of health and conditioning. The facial hair was growing and my eyes didn’t appear as “bugged out” as I felt they were in the younger years.
In fact, one girl told me I had “bedroom eyes”, which I originally misinterpreted as sleepy looking. She clarified that when I looked at her, she felt like I was convincing her to sleep with me. Convincing her? HA! Hey, I’ll take it though.
That year was full of romance and, to be honest, sexual promiscuity. Not that I lived for it (honest) or desperately crave it now, but of all the moments I experienced, for the stars to be in alignment at that age was a true treasure.
I think it was the actual dating that made it the most exciting. I wasn’t tethered to any one person, although there was one young lady that I was interested in more than others. But since she wasn’t serious about a relationship, I didn’t feel the need to invest wholeheartedly in her/us, which turned out to be the right decision. More on our story in another post to come later.
During that time, I was the manager of Jeans West men’s clothing store in Governor’s Square Mall in Tallahassee, Florida. There were three major institutions of higher learning: Tallahassee Community College, Florida State University and Florida A&M University, the last of which, I attended.
The women outnumbered the men incredibly and I was in the perfect occupation and position to meet a large amount of them on a daily basis. Being the capital city, there was also a plentiful amount of young females who worked for the state, so that was an added bonus.
Like I said, the stars were in alignment back then for someone such as me, who used to have such low self-esteem. I still laugh about the day my buddy and roommate Daryl told that for someone who didn’t have transportation, I sure “got around” enough.
But believe it or not, age 20 was not all about the girls, although that year did end with one fantastic climax – no pun intended. It was during my 21st birthday, celebrating it back home in East Chicago. And no, it was not about some wild night of sex, either. It was a string of memorable events over the course of multiple nights. Another tale for another day.).
What made that year so incredible was how I found my way in life, the lessons I learned, the maturation process. I grew more in that one year than I ever thought possible. So much so that when I returned, my family hardly recognized me. Not in appearance – well some – but in pride. Dignity. Confidence. Self-respect.
My senior year (1985) in high school would be my second choice and yes, and not at all for the girls. In fact, I had a girlfriend and enjoyed a beautiful relationship with her. This would be all about reliving the wild times I shared with my best friends, known as The Cruisers.
If you are old enough to remember the movies Porky’s or Animal House, that was us. I’d go with something a little closer like American Pie (not that that’s very recent anymore), but those kids were a bit too nerdy for comparison.
It was also a great time in marching band for me. I loved performing in parades and games, but mostly on stage with the jazz band and my own R&B group, “Hit And Run” (also the group “Xadrian”, in which I sang backup and played sax).
There is much I could say about that too, but I’d be repeating the many things I’ve said in the blogs I’ve posted to date and will in the future about specific experiences. Just know that when they say, “I hope these days never end”, they were referring to me.
Well, I’m married now and my new adventures revolve around my family, which now includes my first grandchild, who will be turning 2 at the end of this month. And then my second grandchild who is scheduled to arrive in mid-December.
Times are different now and I don’t regret a day of my life today. Just as I don’t regret a day in my life from yesteryear…
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