April Apperceptions: Something I Miss

I read today's writing challenge this morning, thinking that I would need to wait until inspiration finally surfaced. But in the end, I find myself going back to the first thought I had upon reading the challenge topic--"something I miss."

So, here is my profound response...

I miss youth. I miss the lack of adult responsibilities, the lack of gray hair, and the lack of wrinkles (not that I have many yet--but there are some permanent creases). I miss the overall spontaneity my teen years afforded me. I miss the laughter...at nothing. I miss the energy I had.

I miss going to movies with a pack of friends (yes, I can still do so--but there's something about the exuberance of youth that made it a true event in those days).

I miss the relationships I had with some of my junior high and high school teachers. There's something about the rapport with a teacher who likes you that can't be manufactured--or duplicated.

I miss the freedom of weekends spent basically playing, the heaviest "weight" on my back an upcoming typing test. And the freedom to color my hair brightly and wear outrageous outfits without anyone freaking out that I had possibly lost my mind--because, after all, I was young. I could be stylishly impulsive without my sanity being questioned--and I could enjoy it fully.

Yes, I miss the days of my youth. But I also appreciate all that I've gained since. It is normal to have times that we long for "days gone by." We can't go back there. We shouldn't go back there. But...we can certainly treasure the memories, and the glory of a much "lighter" existence.

"Youth cannot know how age thinks and feels, but old men are guilty if they forget what it is to be young." - Albus Dumbledore