This morning was a mirror under the nose morning. I slept until noon. The last couple of days I have been really tired so, as my mother used to say, “You must have needed it.” The dogs too must have as they stayed with me in bed. They are napping now. Jack, the cat, is also napping now. They lead tough lives.

When I was a kid, I never slept late. On school mornings I had no choice. My mother had us up, breakfasted and dressed with plenty of time left for walking to school. We never walked fast. We chatted and we dawdled. I loved that walk. The sidewalk had towering trees beside it the whole way. In every season the trees decorated the walk. In fall the leaf colors were mostly yellow with just a few reds. In late fall, leaves would cover the walk, and we’d plow through the piles and kick them into the air. In winter the bare branches were shadowed on the walk and looked like arms and legs. In the spring the trees were filled with green leaves which towered over the sidewalk. The houses were close to the sidewalk. They were old houses with big front windows. When I visited my hometown a long while back, I took that route. I was sad to see many of the houses were gone, replaced by an apartment building and houses which all looked alike. I know things change over time. I just don’t have to like it.

I remember learning to tie a bow. My mother taught me. She used a giant bow to make it easier for me. She also taught me to ride my bike. It was on the street in front of my house. I still remember the joy of riding by myself for the first time. I learned to tell time when I was in the second grade. My aunt helped. I didn’t know it was part of her plan. She gave me a Cinderella watch for my first communion and wanted to make sure I could read the time. I still have an analog watch. I choose not to go digital.

When I was young, the world felt safe. I could be by myself on my bike anywhere. I could walk alone all over town. The only advice my mother gave me was not to talk to strangers. I was always in the present. Kids usually are. The furthest away I ever looked was Christmas. That took a lot of planning.

This entry was posted on November 17, 2025 at 2:09 pm and is filed under Musings. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. Both comments and pings are currently closed.