You will do foolish things but do them with enthusiasm. –Colette

  

Who among us has not done a foolish thing—so long as no one dies or goes bankrupt –it usually all comes out fine in the wash.

 

The most foolish thing I did recently was print copies of my memoir—the wild years in the Kingdom of Thailand—and give it to my kids.

 

Of course, there were a few things I didn’t write in that book. There are some things from those days that I can hardly admit in my mind, let alone put them on a page. But there’s still plenty of foolish things which I hope my children, now in their teens, don’t try to replicate.

 

The hundred million times I rode on motorcycles—side-saddle. The one-night stands. Bribing police at roadblocks. Dancing drunk on tables; which got me fired.  Buying beer and condoms in front of one of my students. Kayaking in snake-infested mangrove forests. And about fifty more pages of adventures that I never want them to repeat. Or at least if they do—tell me long after it’s over.

 

My foolish twenties were a response to my extremely cautious teens. I lived precariously in that decade though not due to my own negligence but that of my mother’s, who all but disappeared from my life save for money in the bank and the occasional week at home.

 

When other kids were sneaking out, I had no one to sneak out from. When other kids planned parties when their parents went out of town for the weekend, I forbid people from coming to my house when they knew my mother had just left. When I did have friends over, and they started to get a little rambunctious—I cleaned up behind them and scolded them until they stopped and acted like the reasonable people I believed them to be.

 

I took care of the money. Paid the bills. Mowed the yard. Let the dogs out and the cats in.

 

By the time I was in my twenties - I was ready to be young and foolish before the time passed and I would be old and foolish. I never liked old and foolish, I’d seen it sometimes at the LiquorDome in Halifax—more mature women vamping it up and lounging on the arm or lap of young men who were half their age.

 

There was one lady I remember well. She was a fixture in one area of the LiquorDome and she was there most weekends but not usually in the crush near the dance floor. She’d be upstairs, near the bar, handy the pool tables. She had big hair, as you could in the early nineties- all the 80s hairspray had not yet been completely consumed-and she wore some of the first spandex pants I’d ever seen. Looking back now I realize they might have been hotpants from the 70s which would have been her rightful time frame.

 

Skin-tight, black, shiny pants that had a full body, in colour, drawing of Mickey Mouse on the outer thigh of one leg. That’s what she commonly wore. I don’t remember the shirts as the pants were so fetching.

 

She was a regular and though she tried, I never saw her leave the bar with anyone. Us young folks watched her with a mix of scorn and admiration. Wasn’t she too old for this shit? Wasn’t it great that she didn’t give a fuck what we thought?

 

The older I get, the more I realize how foolish I was to roll my eyes and share snarky glances with my friends when I saw the lady. If you're 40 and you want to go out wearing Mickey Mouse hotpants and think that’ll pull a stud from the bar some night—power to you.

 

I did other foolish things then too. I could not take it when guys were too nice to me. I guess it was a bit of a creep-factor when it came to some of them—but others were just genuinely nice and fumbling through trying to express an attraction through imprecise words and hormones.

 

I passed up so many princes. Sad to say it’s mostly true—at least in your twenties; nice guys finish last.

 

There was the guy from The Mira who invited me back to his place after a Northern Pikes concert and as a foolish move, I went. Nothing happened. Nice guy.

 

There was my friend from high school who I knew didn’t want to be just friends. I gave him a week of being my boyfriend but ended it when he showed up at my house with flowers. He had seen someone outside working in their garden and commented on how lovely the flowers were and asked if he could have some for his girlfriend—nice guy, they gave him a tremendous bouquet. I kicked him to the curb.

 

Somehow, we’re still friends—which only proves what a nice guy he is. I often wondered how foolish I was to leave these guys in the dust. Where would I be now if I hadn’t? I’m satisfied in this life—but those are untravelled roads that I suspect would have been good trips.

 

And then there was my first long-term relationship. Made some beginner mistakes in that one. Faults on both sides but some great times—both of us foolishly took for granted the good thing that we had until it was no longer good.

 

For many years after I thought, foolishly, that my boyfriends should be a listening post for all my emotional crises—I‘ve learned running, psychologists and massage therapy are the correct vessels for such concerns and stress.

 

And then there was Italy—I accepted a ride from a stranger on an island I did not know, on a road where I’d seen no other pedestrians or vehicles. Foolish but fun; luckily. Giovanni took me all over the island, down the steep hills and shallow stairways, through one small village to another, the crest of a hill overlooking the nude beach, the ruins of an ancient empire, and home to the Villa where I was staying for a few days. We communicated by sign language as neither could speak the other’s language and it was a day the likes of which kicks off romance novels. But that was where it ended, at the beginning.

 

He did invite me, through our limited communication skills, to meet him at the dance club that night, but I didn’t go. I was cautious in all the most foolish ways.

 

As I get older, the opportunities for foolishness have decreased. I’m searching for a few right now. But I’ve mostly passed the baton to my children, who are entering their peak foolish phase.

 

Be foolish, be enthusiastic; I’m here to catch you.

 

 

 

Kids these days, oy vey

It has been in the news provincially in recent weeks that kids these days, well, they're useless. They don't do their homework, they are only interested in texting their friends and they have no work ethic. Many people may take these charges as truth having no contact with today's youth. Some may have formed this opinion because they have had contact with kids today and it wasn't a good experience. When it comes to kids today I have a unique perspective; I employ, teach and study with them. Given this portfolio of experience, I know a thing or two about kids today.

Work ethic, they have none. A small business owner recently went on the record to state that her business was forced to close because she could not get good workers. The kids she hired were always on their phones and didn't perform their prescribed duties. That is a pretty outrageous charge to lay at the feet of your employees. What about the employer? It seems like she may not have created the best work environment as she's scapegoated her employees when everyone knows—It's the economy stupid. Surely there may have been some inappropriate use of time; who among us can honestly say they don't check their personal facebook or e-mail when they are on the company clock? The sad thing is that no employers go on the record singing the praises of their employees, so I will.

A few years ago I was in a management position and had two university students working under me. They were great at their jobs. They got great reviews from the public they served. And they stayed on task even when some of those tasks were mind numbingly boring. In fact, I sometimes had to escape from my office and my own duties on dull days. I would break into their work day to have a little chat and some social time. I can't recall them doing the same thing. They were outstanding, dedicated workers who took their jobs seriously.

When it comes to work ethic, I have only seen a serious failure to develop one in co-workers who were senior in age to myself. Some people won't take a job because they think the pay is too low. They choose not to work at all. Kids today want money, they're working. Take a look at who is working the cash when you buy groceries on the weekend or during the evening shift. In our local grocery store it is almost all high school students at work during the weekend.

Some people take a job and then fail to work because they think they aren't being paid enough. This was what I witnessed; a coworker did nothing for an entire contract. That worker wasn't a youth but someone several years my senior. The younger workers on the same contract all managed to fulfill their contractual obligations.

I see high school students whose schedules are overloaded with sports, part-time employment, school work and occasionally some fun with friends. I am amazed by the things these kids get done and feel that my own teenage years were completely wasted. Kids these days have a three page resume of volunteer and paid work by the time they leave high school. My generation never moved so constructively in the world, never accomplished as much as kids today.

This week I attended a very long meeting where one presenter talked for over two hours; citing reports and posting graphs in power point. The people in the crowd were very attentive, the presentation was about a process that would see the local school close. In the front row were six teenage girls. They had gone to this school and would be moving on to a new school in the coming year for high school. The decision made about the fate of their current school would not affect them personally. But they too were attentive, didn't fidget (as I occassionally did) and weren't playing on their smart phones. This is not remarkable. It is only remarkable to people who discount the thoughtfulness of kids today and their concern for community.

I also act as a host mom to international students. These kids come to a new country, a new language, a new school and do well. They often get top marks. Kids today, how many adults could make this leap?

Yes, there are some problems with kids today but I think many of them are problems we, the generations that came before the millennials, have created. Our lowered expectations, reflected in grade inflation in university and no fail policies in public education, is creating this false idea that kids these days are spoiled, entitled brats.

Every generation bemoans the one that follows. Can we ever accomplish more than our forefathers? Of course we can. Kids today are doing amazing things. Occassionally we'll see these amazing things reported in the media but not often enough. However, not every young person is making incredible breakthroughs with their science fair project, not every young person is going to accomplish something that will bring them into the public eye. To expect them to do that is setting the bar pretty high. We need to acknowledge that kids today, the ones that aren't making it into the newspaper, are doing good things every day, working hard and contributing to society.

If children are our future...I think it looks pretty bright. From the baby boomers on down, we've done a pretty good job of screwing things up, I am confident that the youth of today will help save us. We're in good hands. Let's get out of their way and let them have at it. Top photo: The Millennials and me -- at work.