When I was growing up back in the early 60's We had no television, but We felt so Blessed to have a Radio. I listened to the Radio continuously and I'm sure that I must have wondered how all the different voices and songs were coming through. What beautiful innocent times We had then. Sean Dunphy one of Ireland's many fine singers had a hit song then, and the first line began...IF I COULD SEE THE WORLD THROUGH THE EYES OF A CHILD, WHAT A WONDORFUL PLACE IT WOULD BE. That line remains in My mind still. In the many years that followed I often found Myself in a Doctors waiting room, or at the Dentist's, and many times at the railway Station waiting for My train to come, and the common denominator was Children, Who had never met before and suddenly take one glance at each other and automatically become friends for Life. While We Adults might sit in silence and Each of Us intrigued by the wonderful minds of Children, since almost 60 years down the tracks I have forgotten so much of the earlier part of Life. Would I like to go back ? No thanks, as one trip on the MERRY GO ROUND is plenty for Me.
Yes, children seem to make friends so easily. Wish we could do the same as adults, but our lives are so busy. We can't go up to another adult and say "do you want to be my friend?". We can't take a box of color chalk and do drawings on our driveway.
Around the corner from me is a retired neighbor who is care free kind of guy. He will get on his bicycle and go all over the community. He's quite a sight wearing his straw hat with a safety helmet on top of the hat. Going down hills with his shirt blowing wide open and his hands off the bike handles, going WEEEEEEE. He would visit my Dad [Dad use to live across the street from him] once a week at the senior living center riding his bike there. That Staff must have thought he was loony tunes the way he looked but they allowed him in... he and Dad would have a good conversation about history.
As for friendships, I have never made any lasting friends as an adult, I guess I somehow never learned how. Not every kid was accepted by the others, there were always those who were chosen last for teams and not invited to parties. I must have activated my caregiver gene early as I formed friendships with those "B list" kids and by doing so became one of them.