Looking Back.

I walked for three hours yesterday a beautiful cold day with such wonderful light and colour. It was one of those days that brought out both walkers and runners.  I so love to see families out walking together it takes me back through the years to when on a Sunday I did the very same with my father. He instilled in me a love of nature and the joy of walking. Yesterday was just such a day. The mist clinging to the hills deer almost within touching distance.

So I was already looking back when the first runner passed me. Now when I see a runner words that cross my mind are always the same,  "How I wish."  How I wish I was still running and feeling the energy of pace, the lightness of foot and the chill on the face. I frequently try a bit of running but have to admit gone are the days.

I then moved on my way and there I saw a group of young lads sitting together chatting together. Planning the next ploy. Maybe the tree to be climbed, the gang hut to be built out of logs and branches. The exploits of youth. 

When we older look at younger ones we often think back over our own youth.

Would we go back if we could? "If I could go back to being young only knowing everything I know now it would be great."

But would it?  To go back in time, to have the vitality of youth and also the limitations of youth with the added pressure of knowing exactly what was happening to me, might not be worth it.

When we look at youth we see how far they have to go. Years of possibilities and excitement and new possibilities before them. But, they do not as yet have the scars of life. Yes, life is adventurous and joyous. But they do not have a clue what is before them or how far they have to go.

We older look at them and occasionally we have tender feelings for the hurts they have yet to face.

Unless you are 100 there are people older than us and people much younger. But we are all still on a journey. For every one of us what is yet to come is a mystery. Maybe that is the best it can be. We all, except the very youngest have greater wisdom than we did in younger years. We all have a blindness to the predicaments still to come on the journey of life. Maybe that ignorance is what keeps us sane?

In the end, the only regrets we should have are the chances we did not take. Make these a few as possible and enjoy the next ploy, the next escapade.

Have a marvellous day go on and grab the chance to do something new.