Letting Loose Brings Out the Boy in the Man and the Girl in the Woman

Enjoy life, you’ve nothing to prove to anybody

Photo by Chris Thornton on Unsplash

How many of us over 60 years of age can remember when we were kids being scolded by a parent, teacher, or some other person in authority, advising us to “Grow up!”

That admonishment wasn’t referring to a physical process over which we had no control.

Most men and women who are now your fellow seniors went through that same type of mental discipline in their youth. Be in control at all times, say and do the right things, offend no one….

Well, we’ve grown up. Most of us have experienced raising families, had careers, cared for an aging parent or partner, seen beloved relatives and friends (and even pets) pass on. We’ve dealt artfully with the slings and arrows that have come our way.

Hey, let’s give ourselves permission to allow the boy and girl in us to emerge.

And possibly everyone will benefit.

Case in point

A week ago the social committee of the condo where I reside arranged a trip to a Phillies game. The condo association’s van is used for various excursions such as trips to a nearby shopping center, a local arboretum, restaurants, plays in Philadelphia — or, in this case, a sports function. The van is available for these excursions when it’s not being utilized to run commuters to the train station.

The ballgame was a day game against the hated New York Mets. The tickets were purchased by the committee. If you were interested, you had to sign up and the tickets were awarded to the 12 unit owners who would have to win them in a lottery.

Exciting in itself!

I won one.

Christmas in May!

Yay!

12 kids

We were to meet in the back parking lot where the condo’s van would be parked the day of the game. Our group was scheduled to take off for a 1:00 p.m. game at 11:00 a.m. I got to the meeting place with about five mintutes to spare.

Seems like everybody slotted to go to the game had arrived before me.

What a sight! I had worn my Phillies hat and Phillies tee. I thought that was rather extreme, but I realized it wasn’t when I saw a neighbor, a retired economics professor, shamelessly stuffed in a pair of red striped bib overalls with a large red script P on the front.

I saw another fellow I knew wearing a green Phillie Phanatic hat that had ear flaps.

There was a woman I’ve seen at church and the only communication we’ve had was an occasional “Hi!” She was adorned in a Philadelphia Eagles tee. She also had on an Eagles hat. I found out later it was a spoof. She knew full well she had the wrong sport in the wrong season. She was just having — dare I say? — FUN.

At the game, we acted like kids in the upper most part of the stadium where our seats were. Corny jokes about the “nose bleed” section prevailed.

I could swear I felt a peanut bounce off the back of my head around the 7th inning but all of our gang feigned innocence.

We were like — a bunch of kids!

Epilogue

I’ll not soon forget that day at the Phillies game with some of my neighbors. Some I knew before we went, some I got to know as we played while watching the Phillies lose to the Mets.

We had quite the enjoyable time. Twelve of us formally dignified, controlled, solid senior citizens cavorting around the highest reaches of Citizen’s Bank Park.

We had FUN!

I figure — we’ve earned it!