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The views expressed on this page are soley
those of the author and do not
necessarily represent the views of County
News Online
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Ramblings of an Old Man
They say I’m a
celebrity
By Bob Robinson
The next time you hear someone say “The Golden Years,” you have my
permission to knock their blocks off! Well… not literally. Just tell
them: “You wait. You’ll get there, too!” I have to take naps whenever I
can, especially on the weekends. I have this buzzing in my ears that
drives me nuts at times. My hearing is pretty much relegated to
artificial enhancement (I tell the kids they are my ‘new’ ears). The
thought of doing anything more that standing or slowly walking makes me
tired. And my bones ache, especially in the winter.
I have to get periodic treatments consisting of a needle in my eye… At
Greenville Elementary, they once asked me why my right eye was
bloodshot. I told them. They never asked again.
Speaking of winter, it’s that time of year again. County News Online
will go to occasional postings when we have articles to offer.
Our email updates will be on Mondays only; watch Facebook for an update
whenever new information has been posted. Obituaries will continue to
be posted as they are received. We will return to our regular posting
schedule in mid-January.
But I digress. Despite its disadvantages, being an old coot does have
its positives. One, we can look back on a long life of wonderful
memories (assuming we can ignore the not so wonderful ones). I’ve
always enjoyed the Christmas season, but my absolute favorite as a
child was spending a Christmas week at my maternal grandparents’ farm.
We trekked across open fields to find our Christmas tree and pulled it
back to the house on a sled. It wasn’t really that big, but it still
overwhelmed the tiny living room when we put it up… and that was the
year I got my American Flyer train set!
Christmas morning seemed to take forever in arriving when I was nine.
Now it seems like the last Christmas season was only a week or two ago.
Time flies when you are having fun. Or old.
Then there are the memories, not only to savor, but to share.
An annual event at The Great Darke County Fair is getting to spend an
afternoon with our God-daughter, and my former teen editor, Jordan. On
Memorial Day I got to spend the morning with my two step-daughters,
Cathy and Debbie, and their husbands. An unexpected delight was being
able to spend an hour with my former intern (and current CNO
columnist), Aprill Brandon. All live in other parts of the country, so
seeing them is a huge treat.
We shared a lot of memories.
This old man’s heart was really warmed when Rob, my youngest son in
Montana, “Messaged” me on Facebook. He was reading my book, “God Don’t
Make Junk.” We literally spent hours sharing memories evoked by the
book… it was an enriching experience for both of us. I’d forgotten that
I have written three books over the decades until he reminded me he had
– and has often read – all three.
I can’t remember the last time we shared so much together. It was a month that I will cherish forever.
And just as I was wrapping up this draft for publication… news flash!
Rob posted to me that my granddaughter Monica graduated from American
University at 10 a.m. this (Sunday) morning! I am so proud of her I
could burst. She got her four-year degree in three and a half years (she even took a semester off). It
took me six and a half years to get mine.
Our Empowering After School Program has wrapped up for the holiday. We
worked with over 70 students, kindergarten through the seventh grade,
averaging about 35 each day. The kids love the program, and so do
parents. It resumes in January.
Our Fall semester at Edison is now history. I had over 80 students in
my four classes, with the majority of them in my Fundamentals of
Communication classes. We sent nine teams out into the community to
talk to little ones about being a good buddy, not a bully. Four of
those presentations were for fifth graders in Greenville…
Most of these kids I’d known as a substitute teacher or tutor since
kindergarten and first grade. Most of them wanted hugs, eliciting a
comment from a couple of my Edison students: “Good grief! He’s a
celebrity!”
Nope… just an old coot who has discovered a great recipe for surviving
his “Golden Years.” Doing what he loves! I strongly recommend this to
all the old coots out there… find something you love and do it!
PS. We can always use volunteers in our After School Program.
God Bless and have a wonderful Christmas.
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