Growing Up
We all are guilty of it - being impatient...wanting things now instead
of
waiting. Looking so hard at the goal that we forget how we got
there...and
more importantly, that the journey to the goal was really why reaching
it
felt so good.
Growing up is like that.
I asked my handicapped friends what growing up means to them.
Here's what
they say:
A younger person: "Having more freedom, having responsibity, and moving
away from home. These are a couple of things about me of growing
up. I
was happy when I first (left home, but) I got homesick once in a while.
I
got to meet new friends."
An older person: "Growing up to me means leaving home and going out
on your
own. I plan to someday live in my own apartment. I have
memories of
helping my mom cook and helping her with the dishes. There were
three kids
in our family. I am the youngest."
When growing up, we find our memories of the past as important as the
road
ahead. Here's what the writer Weedn says in her poem The Playground:
"I
saw a playground, today, deserted and empty, except for one old man...
...I could see he was smiling, and he wasn't alone, at all. His
old
friends were there, young again, running, and shouting, playing, and
pretending."
When growing up, don't forget that tomorrow is built on a bunch of todays.
Enjoy the trip.
Jim Holcombe
Marion, IA