Good Morning, Universe!

Today I found my meditating mind circling back to my youth.  It occurred to me that another great thing about being sixty five is the angst of my younger years is behind me.

When I didn't have much time booked on this planet everything seemed enormous!   Now, not so much.

For a time being my big anxiety centered around Carl Jacobson.  I clearly remember the hours/weeks/months fretting over him.  He was the dreamboat I "loved" in Junior High.  He was gorgeous in a Paul McCartney floppy hair way.

Carl played alto saxaphone, so I took up sax.   I planned to sit next to him in band practice.   Little did I know he was lead chair, I was last chair.  Our paths didn't cross.  Plus I learned playing sax was a pain--you had to put the dry reed into your mouth and hold it until it became flexible.  That made me gag.   Furthermore being in band involved wearing ugly black and gold wool uniforms with ridiculous tall feather adorned hats.

Another "nab Carl Jacobson" plan involved basic stalking.  Walking by his house.  Going wherever he might go.  Once I went to a MYF dance (Methodist Youth Fellowship) because rumor had it he'd be there. The passing clothing fad was denim pants that rolled up to just above the knees and wide horizontal stripe t-shirts.  Mine was navy and white, purchased at National 5 and 10 on Main Street, Newark, Delaware.

The afternoon of the dance I worked for hours on my "look".  Set hair in big rollers and sat under the dryer.  The dryers in the 60's were plastic boxes with flexible tubing attached.  The other end of the tube was hooked into a bubble cap that blew up like a balloon when the dryer was running.  My dryer had a fancy feature whereby you could put perfume into a certain spot and your hair would come out smelling amazing.  I used Jean Nate.

Then I put on my jean shorts and tee-shirt.  Standing in front of my mom's full length mirror I saw I had very big, very obvious thigh saddle-bags.  I reasoned that I could reduce the look of those fat wads by stuffing Kleenex into my pants just above the widest leg lump.  Not the best plan.  I didn't consider the fact the tissue balls would shift.  By the time I ran into Carl Jacobson my backside appeared to have tumors.

Goodness, I spent a lot of my youth sweating the very small stuff.   Being old has given me perspective.  Yay for being sixty five.