Years ago, my mom reminded me that I regularly returned to the back door when I was a kid, asking if it was time to eat. Despite being that chubby child, the request was not intended to quell hunger pangs. I was just bored. Once redirected, my attention became focused on riding my bicycle or hanging out on David Street with Lambeth friends. Memories. Parents knew how to keep their kids busy, so the time flew by. Were my mom and dad unique?
We entertained ourselves, playing outside and waiting for the news that lunch was ready, then it was supper. Back outside for a couple of hours, the street lights would come on, and we'd be summoned for a bath or bedtime. Our outdoor activities were not limited to the warm weather. Coming in from building snow forts and sliding on the ice, our cheeks were a rosy red, proof that we played hard. We still thought the days were long, but before you could bat an eye, we were back at school.
Passing through our teen years, boredom vanished, and education seemed an annoyance considering all our social and recreational responsibilities. The pace was picking up. Years melded together with part-time jobs, school, and sports. Some highlights looking back were the parties and summer vacations tucked between exams and the ever-increasing school homework demands. No one ever sat me down and said hang on, son; this is only the beginning.
Like so many kids back in the day, I did not initially follow up high school with more education. There were a couple of years of hard labour at a lumber yard. That “life experience” switched a light on, showing me the path to a new career. Finding something I enjoyed was unexpected, a real lifesaver.
Without boring readers sharing more details, there were forty-five great years in the same occupation. Along the way, there were endless technical education courses annually. Where did the time go? Looking back, I soaked it up and continued for decades. Really, where did the years go?

Now, with three years of retirement safely behind me, I am still drawn to fits of nostalgia. Hearing songs, I look up the year they were released and recount where and what I was doing at the time. Curiosity is still a weakness, a carryover from the past. Does anyone else go to these lengths? And it doesn’t stop there.
This week the media revitalized the tragic story of our Princess Diana’s demise in Paris. Glued to the television for updates and conspiracy stories, where did the twenty-five years go? I remember distinctly watching the news with my sister as we drank tea and ate our favourite comfort food, apple crisp. It took seconds to return to the moment we heard the news.
Sitting at a Starbucks this week with my lifelong EMS pal Bubba, we remembered working the day shift on September 11th. We watched CNN live as the second plane flew into the tower in Manhattan. Twenty-one years have passed since the world changed. We joked that a few new paramedics were likely born that week and might just be starting their path to an EMS career. A paramedic crew stopped to chat with us that looked like they would have been in their earliest of school years that day. No, I don’t feel old.
It would be an oversight to forget that our household had a couple of medical crises a year ago. The year has been a carnival ride, but we are all doing better. I tend to lose the bigger picture when emergencies strike close to home. With two and a half years since the pandemic hit, I am still reminded of the impact others have faced. And don’t even get me going about the state of our healthcare system. Fingers crossed, there will be some relief.
On a personal note, it’s been a year since publishing a book on my career. The book’s release concluded a four-year project conceived by my daughter, who is now my social media and business manager overseeing the ongoing process. Working with Lauren has been as gratifying as writing RUNNING REDS. Five years, oh my.
Nearly sixty years ago, as a cub scout, I gave a three-minute speech about Rudyard Kipling and his motivational Jungle Book that Baden Powell used to set Cub Scouting into action. I remember earning several badges for achieving some milestones as a youngster. I wonder if there is a nostalgia badge today? Forget it. I am reaching.
Have a great Labour Day weekend.
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