How quickly time passes

When I was a teenager, living in California with my parents, I remember many of my folks' friends visiting them. We had moved to California from Chicago in 1954, just a few months prior to my 8th birthday. My parents, and their parents before them had been native Chicagoans.

The move to sunny Southern California brought many visitors to my parents home. Obviously relatives, some of whom moved to California after they saw just how beautiful it was in those days, and, as I said earlier, friends of my mom and dad.

On one such occasion, I remember sitting at the kitchen table, where all good friends seem to congregate even to this day, and listening to my parents chat with their visiting friends. At one point, my dad looked over at me and said, "We've known each other since we were little boys - almost 50 years.". I know my mouth must have dropped open and my eyes rolled. When you're but 16 or 17 years old, you simply cannot fathom knowing anyone for that long of a time.

Now, however, in just a few days, I will be leaving to fly out west to attend a reunion of my high school graduating class. We arranged this gathering a few years ago. We were the Class of 1964 - and thought it would be a good idea to celebrate our collective 64th birthdays together, at a reunion. It won't be the first time we've gotten together in recent years. In 2004 we celebrated the 40th anniversary of our graduating. In 2006, we had had so much fun in 2004, we got together to celebrate turning 60 years old.

Our high school class began together in 1960, so we've all known each other at least since then - 50 years! Many of us have known each other even longer. In fact, there are several of my neighbors who will be at the reunion. One, in fact, that lived two doors down from me, and moved into their house around the same time my parents moved into ours. Over 56 years all told.

Back in those simpler days, we played on our street - games like Mother May I? Tag, you're it; Red Rover, come over, and the like. One or more of our parents watched over us - even as we played into the darkened night. If someone misbehaved, a parent - didn't matter whose - corrected the erring child. We felt no fear in walking several blocks and even miles away, or going to a park by ourselves, looking for someone to play with. Can't do any of that today unfortunately.

The times have changed of course. Most of our parents are gone and now we are the ones who are telling our own children and grandchildren about friends we've known for 50 years. And, just as I did, so long ago, the younger people's mouths drop open and eyes roll, not comprehending how quickly time passes. Nor understanding that their own time will come.