The Farm

The "Golden Years" are many things but in my evaluation one thing seems to take priority over the others. Reflection! Golden years are the time for reflection. You oftentimes don't have anything else to do but reflect!

Some might say our brains are merely computers storing our lives away for later cerebration and deliberation. With what seems to be a simple "click" we can bring up any one of the past moments of our lives. What a gift. Why didn't we think of it!

As an example of what I'm talking about I went to my hometown's summer festival this weekend. Amazingly I found a place to park only a couple blocks from my corner where for years I had always watched the parade. As I stood there readying myself for the barrage of candy that would be thrown to the onlookers I realized my computer had clicked and I found myself suddenly in a state of reflection!

I was seeing the festival and what I remember as it being back then when there were so many people you could hardly make it through the crowd, when the number of vendors selling their wares would have put Wal-Mart on its knees, when the music pounded out a beat that would have put anybody in a state of celebration, when I knew many of the people there. Today was much different or so it seemed and I was not only reflecting on the past festivals but I found myself comparing them to the now. Thankfully both the "then" and the "now" were brought up on the same page or I might have had a problem!

Thankfully the parade started and while concentrating on the red, white and blue flag that was passing by I was able to delete the page I'd been stuck on and come back to reality. I surprised even myself that I hadn't screamed, "Where's Igor's Cowboy Jazz Band? How come they aren't playing today, and where's the strawberry shortcake?"

It was this moment that I realized the role reflection plays in our golden years. It is very important in, say, maintaining our sanity. It fills hours of otherwise useless hours. Reflecting oftentimes brings warmth to our hearts when we sit wondering if we still have a heart. It can make the unreal seem real. The values of reflecting are obviously endless.

One thing is certain. It may have taken a lifetime but finally we understand what has happened when someone asks, "What the sam hill happened to the good ol' days!" At the same time thanks to many of our own reflections we can better understand those who say, "No way would I go back to those days .. no way would I go back to the farm..it wouldn't be the same today!"

Well I'd like to know what the sam hill happened to the good ol' days too! It seems like I just turned around and they were gone. I hadn't even finished cleaning out the barn or gathering the eggs from the chicken coop!