July 9, 2005
Tell your children and grandchildren to pay attention now to their friends and acquaintances. They will meet them again in the next life. By that I mean, when they reach their adult life, childhood will seem like a faintly-remembered past life, but don't be fooled--old childhood acquaintances will be there just the same.
They are now disguised as people you think you have never met.
For example, Susie is now Melanie.
She's the one that turned the tables on you in first grade. She's still at it, only now she's your co-worker operating under another name.
Remember when you dropped your favorite bracelet on the playground. Susie picked it up and wore it. You told the teacher, but too late, Susie had already been there and said you stole it from her first and she was just taking it back.
Now, Melanie is stealing your idea at work and claiming she thought of it first.
Then, there's Beverly, Jeri, Janet and Paula who liked you then and never believed that you stole Susie's bracelet anyway. They knew it was yours. They are still around, only now their names are Beth, Kathy, Linda, and Marsha.
As time marches on, I am continually surprised by the people I meet in life.
I don't know why I should be.
They invariably remind me of someone from my youth.
Some support you, some let you down, some defend you, some will never forgive you, some are kind when you most need it, and some sense your weakness and kick you in the gut.
Tell your children and grandchildren, this never changes.
One of the hidden benefits of aging is that it is so easy now to understand these folks because I can call them by a given name. I have already met them in a past life--childhood.
I can simply tell my mother, brother, sister, or old friends (who were there at the time), that Melanie is just like Susie. Sam is just like Alan.
They get it instantly.
All is understood.
I don't even have to give them the details.
However, if anything gets too weird or if you think those around you are behaving insanely, take the advice of Rita Mae Brown who says:
"The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends, if they are okay, then you are too."
