Long time passing...
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| September 1967 - I'm in 2nd back row. 4 dead, 7 moved or emigrated that I know of |
It's strange, but when no great changes have taken place in your own life, you tend to subconsciously assume that none will have occurred in the lives of anybody else you know - unless, that is, you've been specifically informed to the contrary. To me, who's never moved away from my home town, I'm always surprised to learn that some people emigrated abroad or flitted to other parts of the country decades ago, as I just assume they're still around - even if I haven't seen them in some time. I may think it's been months since I last saw them, then find out it's been years. In fact, some of them moved to pastures new a whole other century ago.
I just learnt tonight that someone who lived not too far from my former house (and was also in my primary school class) has lived in Sweden since 1986 - around 35 years. Steven Ferguson is his name, and the last time I recall seeing him was back in the late '70s. If I ever saw him after that, I just don't remember. There are others, too, who I didn't know had left the town in which they grew up until decades after the fact, and it's an odd feeling to think that people you thought were 'still out there' not too far distant, now live on the other side of the country or the world. Either way, I'm unlikely to bump into them any time soon. (If at all.)
I suppose there are still plenty of people I used to know who yet gad about the local environs, but it's strange to consider that others, who were once so familiar to me, are unlikely to revisit the town in which they spent their formative years, and that I'll never see them again between now and Doomsday. And then there are those who have died. Covid-19 has already claimed one former neighbour and classmate, and I just learned today that one of my friends has tested positive, so obviously I'm hoping that he comes through it okay. Although it wouldn't have occurred to me when I was younger, I think a lot of people regard those they knew in their youth as kind of an 'extended family', and when they're no longer around either in body or in spirit, we feel 'diminished' to some degree.
I'm not really one for reunions, but I sometimes think I might not mind one that brought together everyone I knew from the age of, say, 5 to - I dunno - 30, just to see them one more time and reminisce about our youth. The faint (and by no means compulsive) 'appeal' of such a prospect fades even further, however, when I think of all those who have departed this mortal vale and would be unable to attend - except perhaps in spirit. I'm not sure it would be the same unless everyone was there.
Stirred any thoughts, fellow Crivvies? Is there anyone you've not seen in years who you wouldn't mind catching up with for at least one more chin-wag? If so, feel free to express yourself in the comments section.
15 comments:
Nope, there's nobody I care to meet again and I certainly don't regard anybody I knew in my youth as part of my extended family!! Let sleeping dogs lie in my opinion.
So are you not in touch with anyone from your childhood or teenage years, CJ?
No, nobody - and it'll stay that way.
Your reply creates the impression that perhaps you were bullied at school and therefore hate all your old classmates, CJ. If so, why didn't they like you, do you think? (Yeah, a complete stab in the dark, but I'm interested in why there's not one single person from your past that you keep in touch with.)
Kid, I wasn't bullied at school and anyway I wasn't talking about my classmates (and I don't hate any of my classmates either!) If I met anybody from my youth and they wanted to talk to me I'd talk to them but I'm really not interested in reunions and keeping in touch. I didn't even keep in touch with my father's two brothers after he died in 1999 and they didn't keep in touch with me either (one of them lived in Australia so we rarely heard from him anyway).
I used to think a lot about what happened to the kids I went to school with as well , particularly from primary school. I moved outside the area I grew up in (only about 10/12 miles from there) when I moved from primary to secondary but I still went to the same secondary school my primary school pals went to. So although I still kept in contact with them I rarely palled about with them after school as I had to get home (it was only 10/12 miles away but at the time it was a long journey) so that link was weakened from age 12 onwards .Once I left school I lost all contact with them and a few kids from my Primary etc moved to new towns like EK, Cumbernauld, Livingston etc or overseas as their family were in the army etc. The same thing largely happened with some of my work colleagues (as I worked overseas and in London for a few years) ) and of course folk get married have kids etc and move on. I still keep in contact with a handful of work mates (3 to be precise) and we’ve been pals for 30 plus years but we only meet up now and then for a drink etc. Like Colin I’m happy for the most part, to keep that as it is although there are a couple of folk I would like to know are still ok. Live moves on and as we are now all getting to that age I would think a few have sadly passed away (I know some from my school days and from work have) so it’s better to keep the memory of them. I always wonder if I would actually recognise them (my school pals) now after so long if we did meet up what with age and baldness (not n me lol).
If they made a movie about your life, CJ, the title could be 'A Man Alone', where you'd be the dark, mysterious stranger that no one could categorise. Well, apart from the category of 'dark, mysterious, stranger'.
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I've always wondered how many people I might have walked past without recognising them as someone I knew in my youth, McS. I don't think I look too different from when I was a kid, so the only people that once knew me who'd walk past me are ones who'd do so deliberately. Obviously because they're jealous of my boyish good looks and full, luxuriant head of hair. Yeah, it's strange the way life pans out, eh?
I remember I was in Argyle (low level) train station awaiting my train home and spied a guy I went to school with ( we were quite pally with for a few years) .When he was younger, around 14/15 years old he was a good looking popular with the girls 70s type guy a la David Essex. I could still recognise him (we were around 27/8 ish) but he hadn’t changed his 70s long mullet type feather cut hair style and moustache or clothes and he looked really dated (from being trendy as a 70s kid) , plus he had a large bald crown so that made him looks o much older than he was – it was quite sad as his looks had started to fade (whilst I of course was just blossoming!) - as he entered his train he caught sight of me and shouted “hello” – sadly he was going the other way but I wish we had been able to talk.
I must shamefully confess that when I'm feeling my age and think I'm ancient looking, I derive great comfort from seeing people I was at school with who look like they could've been a teacher, not a fellow pupil. Evil or what? That's a shame about not getting to chat with your old pal - maybe you'll catch up with one another again and get to reminisce to your hearts' content.
A film of my life? With George Clooney playing me of course :D
When I was about 30 I met a schoolfriend called Anthony and I was shocked to see that he'd gone almost completely bald. I was one of the tallest boys in the class but Anthony was slightly taller than me with a head of thick black hair so it was astonishing to see him bald not that many years later! Like you, Kid, I still have all my hair which I've inherited from my dad who lived to be 71 and never lost his hair.
George Clooney isn't tall enough to play you, CJ. And he's probably too old.
My father was bald, but I take more after my mother's side of the family, and her father had all his hair right up until he died in his late 80s or early 90s. You never know though, eh? We could hit 80 and then it might all fall out. Hope not.
I kept all my hair as well but about 4 or 5 years ago I went from having only a few grey hairs to almost totally grey in about 3 months (well I still have patches of dark hair still) My hairs the longest it has been in years due to lockdown. Sadly 80 is less than 20 years away now where did all the time go!?
Yeah, my hair is turning grey now as well, won't be long 'til I'm a 'silver fox' (ho ho). The last 30 years of my life have gone by in a blink, so if I've got even another 30 ahead of me, they'll go by twice as fast. Scary.
They can do wonders with digital trickery nowadays, Kid, so George Clooney could be made to look taller and younger!
Paul mentioned that he has longer hair due to lockdown but that hasn't been a problem for me because I have two sets of hair clippers so I can cut my own hair quite easily. They are both the same brand, Nicky Clarke, but one runs on a rechargeable battery and the other is mains operated (I bought the rechargeable one around 1995 and the mains one in about 2000).
Here's a radical idea, CJ - you could play yourself in a movie of your life. I want a cameo in it.
Two sets of hair clippers? Is that one for each side of your head? And why'd you buy another set when you already had one?
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