Second Childhood?

 My wife took a photo of me holding a coffee mug my brother and his wife gave to me as a birthday gift.  In the photo was the pool in the background and my brother replied that I shouldn't go off the high dive.  I hadn't remembered that event in years.  I almost drowned then.  We were at a public pool and I must have been about six and hadn't learned to swim.  My brother was to keep an eye on me.

He was swimming around and before he knew it he lost track of me.  I had wandered off and found myself on the high dive.  He found me, but it was too late.  I had jumped off the high dive!  Yes, I nearly drowned.  I discovered very quickly I couldn't touch bottom.  But I managed to surface and dog paddled to the side of the pool gasping for air.  I almost didn't make it.

He said he totally freaked out thinking I had surely drowned!  So, some nearly 70 years later, he reminds me to not go off the high dive.  I hadn't thought of that in years.  I had at least a few brushes with death as a kid and that might have been my first one!  I thought surely I was going to drown then.  But I survived.  And he hasn't forgotten!  I was a risk-taker as a kid and probably did many things that endangered my life.

But I survived them all.  And I'm still here, but maybe not if not for the watchful eyes of my brothers.  But more recently my brushes with death weren't of my own making.  But I just didn't have a fear of death.  And I still don't.  But my brother reminded me that I might be in my second childhood in my older age, but in some ways I rather hope not.  I've always been rather fearless.  But like the high dive, I was rather poor at calculating risk.  

And maybe to some degree I still am.  I've always been a risk-taker, but any more that is one thing from my youth I'd rather give up.  I have too much respect for life now, but the memories surface from time to time as my brother reminded me hot to go off the high dive.  That might have not been the stupidest thing I ever did, but I can't imagine how my brother would have felt if I hadn't survived.  He just doesn't know all the dumb things I did as a kid and like the high dive there are a lot of things I'd like to forget.

But I can still enjoy a Bugs Bunny cartoon or I can watch Popeye and Bluro battle it out over Olibe Oyle.  I can still watch a Disney cartoon or cartoon movie and still enjoy it.  But I refuse to call my wife "mom" as my father did my own mom.  And there are things I won't do that I did as a kid.  And there is a lot I'd just like to forget.  But once in awhile I'm reminded and I can feel like a kid brother or remember I was a third son with a younger sister.  But sometimes I'd get reminded.

So, I won't yet say I'm in my second childhood, but sometimes I am reminded of my first one.  But childhood has more fond memories than bad ones.  And I can even laugh these days about my stupidity as a kid.  But I survived and maybe only by the grace of God.  But I'll remember the good and forget the bad.  It might be easier if I weren't reminded, but at least we both got a good laugh.  I'm okay now!  And we have no diving boards here!  My pipe today is my Jirsa with my Special Blend and my coffee is Peruvian from Amazon Basics.  Thank you for your time and Peace to each one of you!

Dave