Another Selba Tag

Yes, folks, Selba has tagged me again. This time, however, it's short and to the point. Basically, I have to come up with the age I would most like to go back and revisit.

Sounds easy, doesn't it? It's not. It's bloody tough.

I wouldn't want to go back to my early childhood. Lack of responsibility was nice. Lack of freedom wasn't. Go back to life on a leash? No thanks.

I wouldn't want to go back to elementary school. I was proud to be years ahead of my classmates academically. In fact, it went straight to my head. I screwed around in class, read books intended for much older kids, made my teachers mad, got top marks on my report cards and top scores on my achievement tests, cavalierly demanded that my stories be read and my plays performed in the classroom, got praised a lot, and sighed at the ignorance of the other kids even while trying to play with them. A first grader can get away with that. A fifth grader can't. Go back to being a lab curiosity or a circus sideshow? Not bloody likely.

I wouldn't want to go back to junior high school. Junior high serves one purpose only: to humiliate kids in front of their peers. Go through having my ego trampled into the dust again? Only if I could meet myself and pound some sense into my skull.

I wouldn't want to go back to senior high school. There were some really good times and some really bad times. I had some successes, and I made some colossal blunders. Still, I almost hate to think what would happen if I had a second chance. There are some things I definitely would do differently now that I know better. However, changing things would make me turn out a very different person, and I'm not sure I'd like that. Muck with this turning point in my life? Not a good idea. As Captain Kirk said in Star Trek V (the only memorable line from that movie), "I NEED MY PAIN!"

I wouldn't want to go back to my early college days. It was kind of like mid elementary school all over again. I was doing well academically, and I generally got along with people in a superficial sense, but I realized I had nothing whatsoever in common with my peers. That brought my old arrogance to the surface again. I had grown up and entered society only to find that society was annoyingly shallow and trite. I looked around and saw nothing but cliches and stereotypes. Even worse, those stereotypes kept urging me to "get with it" and join them. Frankly, people in general were really starting to piss me off. I hunkered down with my circle of good friends and tried to ignore the rest of the world, but it didn't help. Go back to feeling bitter all the time? I'd rather have all my teeth pulled.

I wouldn't want to go back to my university days. As with high school, it was a major turning point, and it was one I got through after many hard knocks. There were some very good times, particularly during the last year or two. There were also a lot of occasions when I knew I should jump right but somehow jumped left anyway and wound up falling into a deep ditch. What I found in those ditches, however, had a strong influence on who I am and what path I came to follow in life. If I could go back, I know I would want to do some things very differently, but I know I would regret the outcome. I'd rather not deal with that. Strictly hands off.

I wouldn't want to go back to my early years in Japan. I did what I wanted to do, what I'd intended to do, what I thought was right, and I enjoyed some success. I then found out that that success had been totally meaningless. There's no point in doing it again...except maybe not to do it at all, but then what would I do?

The next few years after that are a toss-up. The main event was my meeting, courting, winning, and then marrying my wife. If I were forced to live part of my life over again, that would probably be it, but it was often a very stressful period. Even a good thing can give you ulcers. It's a precious time to me, but I'd rather it remained a good memory. I'm almost afraid that, if I went through it again, I might start finding fault with it.

That leaves just the time since my children came into my life. I really don't need to live through that again. I'm still living it now.

So...

Amidrin wishes to go back to age 22 to correct back some mistakes in life.
Lemonjude wishes to go back to age 6 to enjoy kid’s life.
Hui Sia wishes to go back to age 16 to meet her first lover again.
Giddy Tiger wishes to go back to a childhood life with no worries in the world.
Rinnah wishes she could turn back time to the happiest days of her life.
Ehon doesn't wanna go anywhere.
Chen wanna go back to age 19 to take a different pathway in life.
Selba wishes to go back to the time where she could persuade her parents not to move to Indonesia.
The Moody Minstrel doesn't want to mess with the Tapestry of Fate.

There's probably not much point, but I'll tag:
Ladybug
Don Snabulus
Swinebread
Pandabonium
Um Naief

Okay...life goes on!

Pleasure? Simple!

Well, let's see...over the past few months I've been tagged more than once by Selba and most recently by Shlemazl. Now Um Naief (aka TBFKA Tooners) has decided to join the fray. The point of the tag this time is to list ten simple pleasures that you enjoy. Normally I post my tag responses over on the Snabulus blog so I can keep this one focused on my life here in Japan. However, since simple pleasures have long played a significant role in Japanese culture, I'll go ahead and do it here. So now...I give you...
10 SIMPLE PLEASURES (a la Moody)
1. The smell of newly-fallen rain, especially on warm pavement.
2. Looking out the window on a rainy day while listening to melancholy music. (Tea adds to the effect, as well.)
3. Driving down a street that's lined with flowers.
4. The smell of a bakery.
5. The sound of a warm breeze rustling through a grove of trees.
6. Grabbing a musical instrument that just happens to be nearby and fiddling around with it.
7. Being greeted on arrival at work by the song of a mockingbird.
8. The sight of a beautiful woman walking in a beautiful place.
9. The gift of a smile (of non-malicious intent).
10. A moment of quiet.

That was fun...and I'll tag anyone who hasn't done this one yet.

Now...how about some definitely NOT simple pleasures, but significant nonetheless:

1. A former student, now in graduate study, coming to you for professional advice.
2. A 7th grade class getting an average of 70 on your first midterm exam of the year, which until now has gotten an average of only 50 or so every time.
3. Feeling like every single one of your students is understanding you and keeping up with your course...something that doesn't happen very often.
4. Finishing a load of work well ahead of time...and well ahead of everyone else...giving you loads of time to write blog posts.
5. Dark roasted coffee and dark chocolate, especially when things are running slow.
6. A hike in the woods, especially if it's a place you've never been.
7. Playing a tune on a brand new musical instrument (or an old one that hasn't been touched for a long time).
8. Hearing an orchestra play an arrangement you've written and realizing there is nothing at all wrong with it.
9. That wonderful feeling of exhaustion that comes after a good performance, a good sports match, a long hike, or something much more intimate.
10. Getting yet another tag done and out of the way...so someone can lob another one at me!

Okay, that was fun. Now it's time for coffee and chocolate.