Remember when …
I remember when I was growing up, especially in junior high school and then in high school, I wanted to work on construction in the worst way. My dad, after giving up trucking was a heavy equipment operator, in the local area. I was often saying “I sure will be glad when I turn 16 so I can work on construction in the summer.”
When I turned 16, I found out that the safety laws stated that to work on a construction site, you had to be 18. So, that said, my lamenting turned to “I wish I was 18 so I can work on construction.” One afternoon I said the same thing and my dad looked at me and said, “Don’t be so quick to wish away your youth. While you are young, the only worry you have is how you will do on your next exam or who you will take to the dance. Once your youth is over, it’s over, you can’t get it back.”
I can’t remember the many times I told my sons the same thing. Because when I got to be in my 30s with a family of my own, it hit me what my dad was saying.
Guy Woodworth of Presque Isle is a 1973 graduate of Presque Isle High School and a four-year Navy veteran. He and his wife Theresa have two grown sons and five grandchildren. He may be contacted at lightning117_1999@yahoo.com.
