November 04, 2007

Things you never forget

Originally published May 6, 2005

* I remember the first girl I ever kissed. That was the most thrilling kiss of my life and no other has ever measured up to it.

* I remember the first time I got laid (in exqusite detail).

* I remember the first time I ever got drunk. (well... I remember MOST of it.)

* I remember the birth of my first child and just how frightened I was by it. I felt the yoke of responsibility close around my neck.

* I remember the day I married Jennifer and just how happy I was. That was the best day of my life.

* I remember the day Jennifer betrayed me and said that she didn't love me anymore. That was the worst day of my life.

* I remember being handcuffed and escorted into a police car for the first time. (Those weren't actually handcuffs. They were these plastic twist-tie kinda things that you use to seal up garbage bags. They were NOT pleasant to wear.) I also remember the time I spent in jail. It is NOT an experience I care to repeat.

* I WOULD like to repeat getting laid for the first time again.

* I remember burying the first dog I ever loved. I've done that several times since then. It never gets any easier.

* I remember sitting on my back deck with a glass of wine in my hand and thinking that I had achieved more than I ever dreamed I would.

* I remember when I lost every bit of that and how it felt to start over from scratch at the age of 49. I managed to do it, but it wasn't fun.

* I remember being a kid, running wild in the woods and living like a savage. I loved doing that.

* I remember 24 years in a chemical plant, where I tried to go straight, climbed the ladder fairly well, but still went down in flames because of who I am.

* I remember my son, even though I seldom see him anymore. What Jennifer wants, Jennifer usually gets, and this is what she wants.

* I remember burying BOTH of my parents. That's a lonely feeling and I am not convinced that I will ever get over it.

I can't remember a lot of other things I've done in this life, but I damn sure remember those.