Reminiscing

Gave her a ride. Through the countryside, then through another small city.  I drove this route last fall.  Remembering that day.  Incredible fall foliage.  Listening to opera music.  Tears streaming down my cheeks.  The mountain came into view. The peak disappeared into the clouds.  Mount Olympus.  Home of the gods.

It was good today too, seeing the beauty of the countryside.  I should come out this way more often.  It's too small, just going the same places all the time -- home, work, dance practice.

And I remember, was it ten years ago? When we rode in my car back then, there was a particular tape I always played, and there was one particular song she always interpreted. Each time, spinning a new and diffferent story about what the lyrics symbolized.   I told her back then, "You should go to college, because that's what people do in college, they make stuff up like that."  Now she's in college, and as we drive along, she talks to me about how tragedy was a development in Greek literature, that prior to tragedy, Greek stories did not have morals or negative consequences for bad behavior.  She tells me that Aristotle was Alexander's tutor, and what would the world be like today if Alexander had had a different tutor.  She says Aristotle is famous because Alexander conquered the world.  If it had not been for Alexander, maybe we would have forgotten Aristotle.  Maybe someone else would have tutored Alexander, and we'd be reading that person's writings.

I love being around intellectuals.

Yesterday she humored me. For five minutes, she let me read aloud to her from Winnie the Pooh.  I wanted to do it because I was thinking back on those days.  The days when I was in my 30's.  When I had a group of friends.  That's what I think back on.  It's not my 20's I miss.  In my 20's I was in a romantic relationship.  It was like a coccoon.  It was cozy, but I didn't go out of it.  That's not what I want.

When I was in my 30's, I had a group of friends, and there were always new people and new activities.  Having that solid base of friends made me comfortable to reach out to new people.  That's what I miss.

And what else I miss is that we were kids. We frolicked and hiked and dressed up for Halloween and read Winnie the Pooh to each other and sang songs.  Nowadays most people are grownups.  I miss having fun.