Recently I was having a conversation with someone about our days at Johnson Heights Elementary School. For those of you who are not familiar with Johnson Heights, I will now take a moment and give you a brief history lesson. Basically, Johnson Heights was the elementary school of choice in Cumberland, Maryland. It was where all of the smartest and best looking kids went to school. If people used the adjective 'cool' to describe you then you went to Johnson Heights. Hall of Fame athletes wished that they had attended elementary school there because they would have been even better in their professional careers. But I digress and I am trying really hard not to brag about just how great it was to attend school at Johnson Heights, so I will move on...
Our elementary school days conversation was more about trying to retain, or at least get back, some of those childhood qualities that we seemed to have abandoned over the years. Qualities eaten away by grown-up or adult responsibilities. Looking back, I'm not sure if we abandoned them or if life took them away from us. I'm mean, who wouldn't want to return to those days, if not, just for a little while? They were carefree and fun-filled days and our friends were the best.
Ironically, it was that same group of friends that came to my rescue recently. It was that group of friends and others from my twelve years of Allegany County school education who took the time to pray and offer encouragement when I needed it the most. It was if there was some magical bond with my elementary, middle school and high school chums that inspires us to be there for one another. Maybe it was just because kids were closer growing up in the sixties and seventies. I don't know.
I do know that back then we played hard and we rode our spider bikes hard. We stuck together through thick and thin and we would rather get a whipping than rat out one of our friends. We all played outside every night until the street lights came on and we dreamed of one day making it big. There was nothing we didn't think that we could do. And it was from those bonds that we built lifetime friendships.
Anyway, our conversation ended with re-living some of our glory days from way back when and paying homage to some of our classmates who are no longer with us. It made me realize that life is short and if you let the world beat you down then at some point you are going to suffer a high speed come apart either mentally or physically. And even though I can't go back to those glory filled days, I can draw on the memories of a time when life was much more simple and carefree. A time when lifelong friendships were forged and serve today as a reminder of what is really important in this life.
Be well.
Bill
