Shed a Little Light
A mother of a former student caught me in the hall this week between classes.
Becky lit up, excited to tell me about one of her sons who had just told her he and another former student were embarking on a nine-day trip to Peru. The adventure, which will consist of five days of hiking, will culminate in a trek up to the ruins of Machu Picchu.
My colleague herself professes to be quite happy staying home, but it was evident she was very excited and proud of her son’s adventurous spirit.
Both guys are young, employed, single, and healthy. This is, after all, prime time for seizing the moments, right?
Is there an age limit on such experiences? Hardly.
And, what qualifies as an “experience”?
Strolling with a 14-month-old to the local park to swing for the first time is an experience.
Baking a cake with a granddaughter is an experience.
So is traveling five hours to see a favorite team play, going to watch your local school’s Monday night one-act play practice, listening to a new musician about whom your nephew has been going on and on, shopping in an uncrowded Target store at 10 p.m., flying to Paris with your adult girl cousins to attend a Taylor Swift concert and eat amazing croissants, driving a tractor or riding a horse as the sun is setting, reading a book recommended by a best friend, learning how to change your own oil, or traveling to Machu Picchu with a good buddy.
Every breath we take is a miracle, so in and of itself our lives are the definition of “experience.” Choosing my own based on my interests or out of curiosity are fueling me in my senior citizen years. Thirty years ago, I never thought I’d like Snoop Dog or asparagus, but here I am shizzlin’ and eating green veggies like nobody’s business at the age of 68. I am finding my Peru in all kinds of places, people, food, books, and other experiences.
I’m going to send Jake and J.W. a little cash to try a new food experience, like an alpaca and quinoa dish washed down with some Incan chicha beer. And if they get the chance, I want them to send their old teacher a postcard so she can share with current students the joys of travel, around the world or just around the corner.
Snyder, Texas, native Sue Jane Sullivan is a retired schoolteacher whose thought-provoking commentary appears occasionally in several West Texas newspapers, including The Texas Spur and The Caprock Courier.
