If Only I Was Younger

 If Only I Was Younger
Can you remember the times when you were young and could run all day, finding things to do? Too often now I only walk looking for ways to avoid doing something. When you’re flying solo, cooking, washing, and cleaning for yourself, I can make my own schedule and sometimes postpone a task for an hour or a day. It depends whether my get up and go is still there or whether it has already got up and left.
Putting off the laundry by one day; no big deal, as long as I have clean underwear and socks to wear, who’s going to complain? Am I going to write a letter to management? Management only ignores those complaints. Clutter in my car. No problem as long as I can get in and see over the top to drive.
It’s not that bad, but I do need to remove the ice scrapers and the windshield snow cover and put them in the basement or trunk of the car. A tip for those people who haul food in the trunk of the car to outings, have you ever spilled chili, oup, or sauce in transport? Buy an inexpensive flannel-backed tablecloth and spread it in the trunk of your car. Spills…just remove it and wash the tablecloth or if it’s cheap enough, toss it, just replacec with another. There’s no reason to spend hours cleaning the carpet’s nooks and crannies and still finding some that you missed.
I think about my younger days walking to several swimming holes. One was over a mile away, but I was able to walk with friends most of the way and the trip didn’t seem so long. The swimming hole that was much closer was much colder. The stream flowed most of the way from hillside springs and small stream under the shade of huge pplar, oak, and evergreen trees. The water had lttle chance of warming at all. If I swam there, it was a necessity to build a fire to thaw out frequently. Swimmers’ lips were blue and coming out of the icy stream, we had to check to be sure we were still male.
A few saltines brought from home roasted over the fire and then spread thick with margerine was a welcome snack. It gave us a reason to linger in the warmth of the fire.