A short while ago, I read a Chronicle article that touched my heart strings. It was not The Ramara Chronicle, but the Citrus County Chronicle, our daily newspaper in Florida. The writer, Fred Brannen, mused about physical appearance and how it affects our feelings. He told of himself as a young man who always appeared to be much younger than his actual age. His juvenile appearance was a real drawback in the early years of his career as a bank inspector. People made jokes about the bank hiring a teenager to check their accounts.
I could empathize with his feelings. I, too, used to appear younger than my age. I once made a long (but affordable) journey by train from Winnipeg to Washago (27 hours, sitting up all the way), accompanied by our three children, all of whom were young enough to travel for free. It was a challenging trip. Our carry-on baggage consisted of snacks, drinks and “quiet” toys, and we sat right next to the “Ladies.”
At one point, a new conductor came on duty and made his rounds. When he came to our car, he studied our little group and then announced to the rest of the passengers that, “These three children belong to this kid.”
In his article, Brannen went on to record that he no longer looks so young. He was recently dismayed to be asked if it was his father whose photo accompanied his column, and was nonplussed to be referred to in a conversation about “respecting one’s elders.”
He borrowed from the lyrics of a Bob Dylan song to express his views about aging. “May we grow up to be righteous, may we grow up to be true. May we always do for others and let others do for us, too. May we build a ladder to the stars and climb on every rung, May we be forever young, may we be forever young.”
My Valentine and I have just celebrated our 60th wedding anniversary. We have had many special love songs over the years but it is only now, on the doorstep of 80, that we have been introduced to Dylan’s beautiful sentiments. A songwriter who writes such touching lyrics will surely understand and forgive if we change his words from “you” to “we,” thinking as a couple, as we have done for six decades.
Some of the rest of Dylan’s words form a suitable wish for family or friends, or anyone we love. “May God bless and keep you always, may your wishes all come true. May you always see the truth and see the light surrounding you. May your hands be always busy, may your feet be always swift, may you have a strong foundation when the winds of changes shift. May your heart be always joyful, may your song be always sung, may you stay forever young, may you stay forever young.”
It has been a long time since anyone referred to me as a kid. But like Brannen, no matter how I look to others, regardless of what I see in the mirror, in my mind I’m still a kid, and so is the boy who, a marvelous lifetime ago, took my hand in marriage and made me feel forever young.
Happy Valentine’s Day.
