Favorite Quote

"Faith is the substance of things to be hoped for,the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11).

08 September 2010

Youth is Wasted on the Young

My mother asked me the other day if I’d seen any art when I was in Italy. We were in Rome in 2005 – business trip for me and Johnny is the perpetual tourist. I told Mom we did see wonderful works of art when we visited the Vatican and amazingly enough, the hotel we were in had magnificent artwork on its walls (the Hilton Cavalieri – here’s a link to their art collection: http://www.romecavalieri.com/cavaliericollection.php). She then asked me if I’d seen any art when I was there at the age of 17. It was a school trip and I recall going to Florence and seeing the statue of David but as I told my mother, I didn’t appreciate what I was seeing at the time. “Youth is wasted on the young”, I told her jokingly and she replied in all seriousness, “I know”.

This started me thinking about all the things I wish I’d paid attention to when I was young. I wish I’d asked my grandmother more questions about the family. Why didn’t I do that? Now that I’d love to know more about my ancestors, it’s too late to get that first-hand source. I do genealogy research (although not so much at present) and many of my fellow researchers have the same lament. I do remember one friend telling me that she was always interested in family history; even as a child she would ask questions. I never did though. I was too busy being young.

I was fortunate enough, as I have mentioned, to have the opportunity to go to Italy when I was 17. We visited Rome, Florence, Pisa, and Tivoli. I vaguely remember the Colliseum and the Roman Forum. I remember climbing the Tower of Pisa and being afraid to move at the top (heights are not my thing). I remember the gardens in Tivoli and of course, the Statue of David. With the exception of the gardens, I appreciated none of it. These days, I’m fascinated by history and whenever I have the opportunity, whether in the US or in Europe (where history is inevitably much older), I love to tramp around places and think about what once was. I love to research history. But at seventeen, I had no concept of appreciation for the past. I was too busy being young.

Conversely, there are some real advantages to youth. They have more stamina, for one thing. My step-daughter-in-law has a wonderful blog (http://mizwrite.com/) and her most recent blog was about first jobs. The responses to this have been really interesting and fun and I started thinking about how I worked multiple jobs when I was younger. I mentioned that I worked three jobs and went to college at the same time. I started working at a motorcycle shop when I was a senior in high school – they needed a bookkeeper and my bookkeeping teacher convinced me to take the job. After I graduated, I got a job in a glass factory (south Jersey used to be full of glass factories) working the midnight shift. So I would work all night, leave in the morning and go immediately to do the books (this was quick), then go home and sleep for a few hours. Then I’d go to school, come home and go to Sears where I worked in Women’s lingerie. After that, I’d head for the midnight job. Just thinking about this schedule makes me tired now. I couldn’t do this again - I’m too busy getting older.

14 comments:

  1. Though you, like many other youthful travelers, may not have fully appreciated the sights and history you were observing, I suggest it may have impacted you in more subtle ways. If nothing else, it has seeded a love of travel and first-hand experience. I see that in you and in my own sons who also had the advantage of travel abroad in their teens. Now that may have developed anyway, but who knows.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lisa - that's a good point. And with regard to Italy, at least, I had a starting point to refer back to. I'd still like to get to Florence again...maybe next trip!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I too am busy getting old....but with so much hope and anticipation for the young! I longingly look at my kids and all the opportunities and experiences they still have to come. My 11th grade son, serving a detention for being tardy to school, decides to answer his response to a quote in Spanish......"Mom, it didn't say I had to answer it in English"....."Josh, thanks for telling me so when the school administrator calls I'm not caught off guard"......Will he use that spunk and language ability to explore the world??? I pray he does - while he's young...It will make me smile while I'm too busy getting old!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Don't know why my computer is listing me as Loren - Diana here!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I was wondering about that, Diana! Thanks for writing!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Diana, I have to say I am very impressed with Josh's thought process and actions. To me it shows he is not easily intimidated and keeps a cool head and will come back intelligently.
    Reminds me of someone I knew when I was growing up. He will do good. Look out world...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Checking to see if my name changes on the posting. Josh is not easily intimidated - that's for sure. Out of all my kids he has customized his public education to attempt to fit him more. Last year he got his chemistry teacher to agree that he did not have to do homework as long as he maintained an A...don't you think that made the other students mad when they figured it out.....

    ReplyDelete
  8. That's pretty funny about the chemistry homework! Glad to see your name showing up now!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hey you! Great to find you in the blogosphere too! Fascinating posting as well. I think we all periodically sit back as we become older and spend more time reflecting on our own youth, as well as that of those we love and care for.

    I was lucky that as a child I had good parents that cared to take us around and expose us to lots of different experiences. When I was a young man in the Coast Guard, and traveling around the world, I did seem to take the time (some time, anyway) and poke about museums, or take in the architecture of a new city. In some sense I think it was the 'educational foundation' for what I have been doing with my life since. I enjoy traveling, but with a purpose now; I enjoy good music, the fine arts, and I am reading the world's best literature. For me, I wasn't ready for most of that in my youth, but I am now; and I'm enjoying it immensely.

    Thank you, my friend, for making me spend a few minutes in reflection as I wrote this up! Cheers! Chris

    ReplyDelete
  10. Chris! So glad to see you on here. I've been a sporadic blogger but I'm thinking of spending more time on it. I like your blog too and have added a link to it on my page. See you around Manleigh Hall! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi, Jan! Thanks for the compliment!

    I think about this "youth is wasted on the young" concept a lot in terms of college. When I was in college, I couldn't wait to get out! Just FINISH! Move on to "real life." I wish I had appreciated the fact that that was real life, too. I wish I had taken advantage of all the wonderful visiting professors and speakers and writers who came. I was too young and impatient then.

    ReplyDelete
  12. That's me, Laurie at mizwrite, posting above as "Laura"! (Your blog won't let me post with the openURL from some reason -- says it can't "verify" it?) So I'm using an old gmail account!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Laurie - thanks for the comment. Not sure why you can't post with openURL.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hello darling!
    You won our giveway! Hurray! Drop us a note with your address so we can pass it along.
    And we're meeting soon, yes?
    Denis (sometimes known as Daggers)

    ReplyDelete