Monday August 21st

I Wish I Were Young Again
By Joshua Patrick McNelly




I wish I were young again.

When I could go to the corner store and spend the money I had just earned mowing a lawn on enough candy to ruin my dinner.

I wish I could go back to those days when I could spend all day in a fort built for me with help from my mom and dad.

When I could run down the street to where my best friend lived and spend all day long pretending to be GI-Joe and saving the world (but from what, I didn’t know).

Where baseball cards were more valuable than money and all I could think about was eating the stale gum in the pack like my favorite major leaguer.

When I could ride my bike for hours upon end and it never got boring.

When I watched TV for fun, not to escape from reality.

I wish I were young again.

When things were pure and innocent, because I didn’t know any better.

When people, all people, were good and nice because I didn’t know what prejudice was.

Where the glow coming from the Christmas tree was the next best thing to blowing out the candles on my birthday.

Where Mom and Dad and Baseball and Apple Pie still meant something, to ALL of us.

Where it wasn’t so bad to leave the front door open and sit in the front yard and waive to the neighbors as they walked by.

When a game of marbles “for keeps” was the most exciting thing going on.

When pool parties and sleepovers and trips to the beach kept us going all summer long. I wish I were young again.

Where the first time in the Eastern Sierra was like I had died and found my way to the best part of heaven that God himself had to offer.

Going down to the creek to try my luck with a pole, 3 salmon eggs and a boy’s innocent dream.

Playing stickball in a church parking lot where we knew we’d be safe but didn’t know what to be afraid of.

Falling asleep at night without a care in the world except for wondering what in the world the next day would bring.

Where there was no work and no bills and the only thing I had to worry about was chores and homework.

Playing tag in the front yard with the neighborhood kids and always remembering to look both ways before running into the middle of the street.

I wish I were young again.

So innocent that we didn’t know what it was to be hungry, homeless or without love.

So pure that we didn’t know what a nuclear weapon was, or what it could do.

So alive because we really didn’t understand what death was, or if we should fear it.

When we were just happy to get the $.50 we got from mom to get an ice cream cone from the ice cream man.

We all have things that we’d want to go back and do again, but the truth is, we can’t. We have to live in the now and do what we can to make the best of what we have. If you stop and think back to what you did when you were younger, some of it makes a lot of sense today. A lot of it was really stupid and sure, we have a lot more to worry about these days, but it’s all the same stuff. Just stop for one moment in time and make it yours. Live it. Be the moment. Think about what is important to you and think about what it really is that you want. It’s not that hard if you just try. It could be as simple as when you were younger.