Since 1971 I feel like I've been driving at 70mph in traffic.
We were prepared for anything, but not this. We had to make it up along the way. That's what an education is for.
I tell people I was too young for Viet Nam but too old for Desert Storm. My selective service number was 300+. My grandfather was glad he didn't need to pay for me to move to Canada.
My memory is not what it used to be. But I remember growing pot in my grandmother's backyard (and going to a garden supply store with Greg Fraize and asking about fertilizer for weeds as a science project. I still crack up about it!) I remember drying it on my Buick Skylark GS V8 manifold and rolling it with Zig Zag rolling papers. My dad only noticed the smell after a cop presented at his Optimist Club and burned some to make parents aware of the smell.
My grandkids don't know what a V8 is. (Maybe a juice?) I still crave a Z28 or Mach 302.
Sex outdoors? There are few memories that would convince the EMTs I was still alive if I was otherwise unresponsive.
Wine - I promised I'd never drink Boone's Farm again after getting drunk over the night shift at a convenience store where I was working on the East side where I grew up. Now I drink IPAs - thank God for craft beer. It's not the same - but I'm 50 years older now.
My younger brother died ten years ago. I haven't talked to one of my sisters for years. Families are complicated.
We had the BEST MUSIC! Starting with the Beatles when we were in grade school. Then Led Zeppelin. Pink Floyd. Yes. Jethro Tull. Do you remember Wood Stock? Nothing like it since. We had the best music.
I've been drinking too much but my doctor hasn't told me to stop yet. Blood pressure and cholesterol under control. Modern meds let you do things you shouldn't do. (Cialis to the contrary.) I've had the COVID vaccine and I'm not worried about it. How can people not get that?
Medicare is great. Too bad you need to be old to get it. Social Security is good too. My dad didn't live long enough to get his.
Married 46 years. Lucky pick. Divorce is expensive.
6 grandkids + one on the way - they are proof that the world should go on. (Actually, nature wants you to have kids and get out of the way ASAP.)
And we have the Internet now - curiosity's wet dream.
You must have a story! Tell us! Have a few beers (like I just did) and write something for the Class of 71 Legacy Compendium. Maybe you'll get invited to Prep to tell your story. It won't be as good as a Maines or Zarnowicky lecture, but relevant just the same. (God bless them.)
Driving 70mph in traffic. Pretty soon they won't have cars. Better hurry.
Kim
P.S. This was written to the remaining members of the Brebeuf Class of 71 - to motivate them to attend the 50 Year Class Reunion.
