Old folk are supposed to give the young a reason to live when times get tough. They tell stories, invent games, and act the fool because they’ve learned that life goes on no matter what so you may as well make the most of it. I guess I knew this as a kid but forgot it for a while.
At any rate, I’m ready to see more of this and less of the “these young people are going to be the death of us” attitude that’s become all the rage among the aged in recent decades. We might not be able to tend the nation but we can tend community by drawing attention to the things we enjoy together. Even if we disagree, we can play together. That should be the message here.
If you think you carry enough weight in this community I implore you to put some energy into this because it has the potential to help us all. It’s interesting how these things can lift our spirits when we’re not even involved. One of my fondest memories of service in the Gulf War period is of an Easter Egg Hunt the USO organizated for the children of Marines stationed on Okinawa. I was troubled by the chemical and urban warfare training I’d been doing when I walked in there, but when I left all I could do is smile. None of those kids were mine. I was just there to get a hot meal but was instead reminded of how fun life was when you just let everything go for a while.
We could really use more reminders like this, so I hope it touches a nerve. I’m happy to help make it happen too, just so you know. Maybe we can get a conversation going here until we have enough interest to actually do something. And no, the small activities going on now aren’t going to cut it. We need something that’s going to touch the entire community.
Jamie Beaulieu
Farmington
