It Was The Best Of Times...

[SifuPhil]

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

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This opening paragraph of Charles Dickens' 1859 book A Tale of Two Cities is perhaps one of the most-quoted - and most-butchered - group of words ever to have placed ink to page.

I can't help but think, in looking yet again at this passage after all these years - the first time was in Ms. Brown's English class in 1972 - how aptly it describes our arrival into the senior years.

The best and worst of times ... surely this is true for us. We have run the course and proven victorious; we have suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune (sorry, Bill

) and come through mostly alive and mainly well; we have, hopefully, gained a little bit of wisdom, a smidgeon of experience and a dollop of compassion, as well as having moderated our wild swings of passion between virtue and vice.

The Age of Foolishness ... well, yeah.

As for the Express bus to Heaven or the Bullet Train to the other place ... I prefer to walk.

 

[pchinvegas]

It for me is the best of times, few worries, lots of friends, simple life no drama because I have found so little I care to get upset about anymore.
Worst of times, energy comes in short spurts, aches and pains of just growing old.

 

[SifuPhil]

It for me is the best of times, few worries, lots of friends, simple life no drama because I have found so little I care to get upset about anymore.

Sounds like Heaven came early for you.

Worst of times, energy comes in short spurts, aches and pains of just growing old.

The one saving grace about that is that you share those symptoms with most other mature adults. I used to be able to cat-nap in the most insane positions, then wake up and instantly be on the go again. Now if I'm not "laid-out" properly I'm never sure what's going to happen when I awake. It's like a Presidential election - it takes a long time, there's a lot of pain and disappointment involved and you're never sure of what the results will be.

 

[That Guy]

My dad, a career Naval aviator (wounded in the attack on Pearl Harbor, flew combat in the Solomons and Korea . . .) told me when I enlisted that I would make the best friends of my life. He was right. God bless you Cap'n Billy, Armando, Carlos, Laughing Arthur, Worm, Dangerous Dan . . . I will always love and miss you guys. It truly was the worst and best.