A past reflection of the future

My mother just celebrated her birthday last weekend. Not too long before that, my sister also celebrated her birthday. And the day before that, my niece celebrated becoming four months old. Wait a minute, my niece?! As I sat and reflected on those events, I was suddenly overtaken with the stark realization that my mom was now in her late 60s-a GRANDmother-and that my sister was now a mom. Her beautiful daughter-my niece-has been in this world now for four months!

A nostalgic, yet bittersweet smile crossed my face and a tear came to my eye as I started thinking back to my own youth. Lost in thought, I had this sudden yearning for days long past, back when the innocence of youth prevailed, and life was at its simplest.

Today, I am but a simple man, trying to live a simple life and enjoy the sheer simplicity of it all, in retrospect, trying to enjoy the simplicity of life as a child! The naiveté that comes from not being wholly aware of the world around you at times lends itself to reflecting on the way we feel life should have been. That-in and of itself-is part of the reward of simplicity.

Ah, to be a child again! Children back in my day had absolutely no clue as to what it meant to pay bills or what it meant to have a 401(k) or health insurance. Nor did they have to worry about being Democrat or Republican. They couldn't possibly have imagined what a Playstation or Gamecube was, much less a CD and MP3 player. All we were really worried about back then was eating, sleeping, getting your chores done and having enough time to stay outside the rest of the afternoon and play with your friends and not get into trouble.

As a boy growing up on the reservation, I learned a multitude of very worthwhile life lessons. While I didn't grow up in a very large family or as a member of a well-to-do family, I had everything I could have ever wanted. I just didn't realize it back then. Looking back on my childhood now, I've come to realize that a lot of things from my childhood were valuable and have helped me out more in my adult life than I ever realized.

One example that stands out most in my mind was the one lesson I learned from my late father. "Don't do as I do, do as I say," he always told us. He wasn't perfect by any means and he had his fair share of faults (as did everyone else), but in the end, it was those words that reverberated through my head whenever I was offered an opportunity to do drugs, drink alcohol or otherwise engage in some kind of negative behavior. I always thought to myself, "How disappointed will Dad be in me if I did this?" I already knew my mom would hit the roof!

I laughed as I remembered all the great memories of my youth long past, thinking about how my many mistakes as a child helped to shape me into the person that I am today. Essentially, remembering the past helped me to reflect on my future and to reflect on the kind of person I wanted to be from this point on. Why? Because it's not just MY future I'm thinking of. I think back to the day when my niece was born and how I was pulled over for speeding by a New Mexico State police officer on the way down to Las Cruces. Yes, I was speeding, but in light of the birth of my niece, it was ultimately one of the best decisions I made in my entire life!

Donate to nhonews.com Report a Typo Contact
Most Read