What's impo'tant to you?

Recently, up popped a thing asking "What would you change about your wedding?"  My brain immediately went into smartass mode, but thankfully I hadn't had a beer or three, I didn't want to come across as bitter (sore loser?) so I behaved, didn't. One guy said he often runs the video backwards, so they walk in reverse up the aisle, kiss, say their vows and he finally gets to the good part where he's at his bachelor party. I guess this will be like that - "What's impo'tant to you?", in rewind style.........

To me? I thought you'd never ask..........

Birth........  Mom, sleep, mom, and s'more sleep....

Toddler.... Captain Kangaroo, Mr. Green Genes, Tom Terrific and "Mom? I can't find Teddy, I can't sleep without Teddy!"

A bit older.... training wheels.. mom, of course dad.. a payback to my beloved older sister.. grandma and grandpa ..... and a new roll of caps.

"Humor me" the blog writer person wrote,"... as we age here, think along wit' me in each respective age with "What's impo'tant to you?"

Nine-ish, ten-ish... mom/dad... ok darnit, big sister too... Andy, Ope, Barn, my bike (freedom), the 9, count 'em, 9 siblings that lived next door, thus enabling countless, and I do mean countless hours of whiffle ball... not to mention skateboarding, sledding, Red Rover and Kick The Can. Impo'tant, heck to the yeah...

Somewhere between that and "I got my driver's license":... a little dab of Brylcreem... Eddie Wally and the Beav'... Moe, Larry and Curly (our beginning of rebellion?)..  wearing any shirt that DID NOT have a fruit loop.  square patches for the jean knees, screws and electrical tape for wooden ball bats. Hey, can you believe that one girl actually wears a bra?  Toothpicks and cinnamon oil... surfer shirts... a good supply of those plastic adapter thingies for 45 records... Goofus, Gallant, Highlights... 'Coc', you had to be from Liberty/What were we thinking?.... mom, dad, sister, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles. Tonettes, nevermind, I sucked.

FROSH... being scared shirtless... what's that hair.. he ain't got no hair.. and WHY does Coach stand outside the shower to check our names off? Clean gym clothes. the guy alphabetically next to us in our gym class lineup who FINALLY washed his gym clothes.  girls. the Plaza Theater, girls, that first kiss, should I rewind again from here?  Anything, everything (Municipal Stadium, Sam's Parking, Green bats, the rabbit, the Lincoln High bleachers, Arthur Bryants, Charlie O) about Charlie Finley and the KC A's.

SOPH/JR. ... "SHOTGUN!...I CALLED IT FIRST!"..  Parallel parking, ugh... sports... School dances..I'll go but do I have to dance? Does The Plaza III have cheeseburgers? Can someone show me how to put these damn cufflinks on? YOU CUSSED! Yeah, we do that now... Sock hops, cars, buddies with cars, anything besides the school bus. Did you see ____? She ain't wearin' a bra? (all, close to being men, are pigs.) Did I mention Playboy? Penthouse? Oui?... anything baseball-wise BESIDES Charley Finley and the A's.

SENIOR... You mean, after this I gotta do something?  Draft lottery number. sports..English Leather .. Proms, Kings, Queens... Superlatives... I dunno, you going to college?  Yeah? Where? but, but, but, we're an item, we can't go to schools 300 miles from each other!  Goodbyes.... reflections... memories, good friends made. We didn't know, but some were lifelong, some, we'd never see again.

JUST AFTER... You mean, I don't get an allowance any more? Wasn't it Maynard G Krebs that said "WORK!!"  Some entered a lifetime (almost) life and the W2.

Some, (draft lottery #236) to college. Time between classes. Late night/all night studying. Some, faternities, sororities, maybe an 'ok' one day paycheck. Some, nose to grindstone, wonderful paying job, beep-beep, outta my way, I'm retiring in Cabo at fitty-five. Some found college not impo'tant, dropped into the W-2 world fo'er. I'm a simpleton and maybe too proud of that, impo'tant for me in college, FUN, and man did I have that.

After the after: I do's and done dids. Well, let's chase each other 'round the room tonight, and play the games we played on our wedding night. Friends. BBQ'S, couples that were friends. Hey, they've got kids, maybe we should. Uh oh. We just bought diapers MONDAY!... 3am, crying, "your turn." Mom, dad, I know it's been awhile since we ve come to visit, we've got friends going to the Lake this weekend, can we maybe drop sunny boy off Friday after work and come grab him Sunday night? Hey, that bike we bought sonny? The ones on the floor were already assembled at WallyWorld, this one's a box? The hell? (Maybe not high on the list of impo'tant, we'd be remiss to not mention from this era: tummy aches, potty training oopsies, diaper rash, acetaminophen, gallons of pedialyte, rubber duckies, poopy diapers "your turn" and, projectile vomiting.)

SOON. Hey, we're going to the Lake this weekend, join us?  Gee, that'd be wonderful but we've gotta ball tournament in Des Moines, wifey ain't feeling great so she and Susie are staying home. Few and far between: We/me moments, and theys impo'tant in this era.

DRUM ROLL..... Honey, listen...(crickets).. Sonny boy married, on his own, Susie off to college until Christmas...Well, let's chase each other 'round the room tonight, and play the games we played on our wedding night... Not tonight, I've got Bunko.. yoga... wine club.. book club...we just did two nights ago...

A bit later... Our parents are failing, it's important we be there for them... Life and the hard lesson of emptiness.

House. Yard. Garden. IRA. IRA? How is the IRA? I don't have one, I thought you started one? Oh shit. (By this age, we're practiced at profanity). The long and winding road 'tween now and Social Security, Medicare, retirement. Impo'tant: Loved ones. Savings and no touchy. Regular bowel movements, well, they are. Exercise. Reliable car(s). Church. Communication. Happiness. Friends.

Closing in on today. Worry/care/concern about aches, pains, spots, dizziness, yada... Need a knee? Hip? Arthritis? Cancer? Heart? What is the date? Dementia?

HIGHLY, HIGHLY IMPO'TANT: looking back, SO much good, fun, love had. Worries about things outta our control? Gone, like grasshoppers on the windshield at 35mph.

And even maybe a bit later...Grab bars... Coffee... The wonderful ability to text, not call.. Caller ID. Friends. Appreciation. Emotions come a little easier, and that's ok, there's Kleenex for that.

All in all...........

Life is like a Steinway in a concert hall.

It's grand, if you play it right.

That's impo'tant 

Love, Victurd