Young, restless & just plain silly.
Hmmm… so in lieu of Patrick Swayze’s death, I’ve been a bit nostalgic today. It’s interesting how your mind gets going with incidents like death and my thoughts went right back to the old-days of a younger Me. 
I think I mentioned that I grew up in a small-town in Upstate NY – but looking back, I have to laugh – I swore that life was miserable being a teenager. I worried about the dumbest things – and my priorities were clearly focused on my social-life, newest girlfriends to spend time with and of course my multitude of guy-friends. I was a weird teenager. Growing up in a small-town like I did, there wasn’t really a whole lot of “girly” stuff that interested me. I was all about driving around town in my 1984 Honda Accord (what a beauty), playing sports and dodging drama.
I suppose Swayze’s death made me think of this – because when the movie Dirty Dancing was “HOT” I used to dream that someday I’d find myself a Johnny – and life would be “summers at the beach”. HA! That makes me laugh.
Anyhow… I was reminiscing fondly on a couple of my guy friends that I spent many many days and evenings with. We were 16, 17 & 18 and we’d joy-ride all over my hometown (and theirs) with absolutely nothing to do – we just DROVE. We’d blare our music, we’d laugh, hang out of the sunroofs as we screamed at people walking by, and we’d whine about how ‘dreadful’ our jobs were. (One of us worked at Subway, the other at a “ski shoppe” and myself – always working at some restaurant like Red Slobster). We swore we had life figured out back then. Now, 15+ years later – I chuckle – and wish just for ONE day, I could go back to that young group, driving around town – I’d have enjoyed it just a little bit more. Even when I’d drag myself into work to wait tables… I had no idea what I was going to do with my life. I had no “goals” or real drive to do much other than make money, pay my car insurance and go socialize. My, those days flew by.
Next thing you know, we all went off to college – lost touch, got married (some of us divorced) and while I’m utterly ecstatic with the life I’ve lived & continue to live now – I occasionally wonder where all of the old “crew” landed. Hoping they’re happy & darn it, wishing they’d get with the program and GET ON FACEBOOK! ha ha ha…. what a world we live in.
