Youth Gone (Not Too) Wild
Spent a few days with the youth of America a couple of weeks ago and all I can say is The Kids Are Alright. With no kids of my own, its in my best interests to bond with those of my friends who will ultimately vote on the evolving health care packages that will allow me to choose...um, well choose something. Humane death? A sports-oriented senior home? A cute young doctor?
My friend Anne descended on San Francisco with her 2 daughters - Yanna, 14, and Nia, 11 - leaving me more enlightened, more enriched and utterly impressed with the parenting skills of my collegiate chum and the Kids of America. Have the children of the new Millenium replaced the disaffected youth I once read so much about? If so, boo ya, youth! Things are looking good.
For 2 teenage girls could there be a more fun city to visit than San Francisco? From Union Street to Alcatraz; from the smells of the Haight to the sights of the Mission; from Pacifica to Baker Beach; Thai food to tapas; Sporty B to the North Street Fair - it was non-stop stimuli, shopping, eating, playing and laughing with barely a blip on the teenage tantrum radar. I know, riiight?!
Because I'm so behind in my writing I'll note just a few of the highlights:SWIMMING: The girls chose to wake up at 5:30am 4x during the duration of their stay to hit the masters swim class at the Presidio Y. When I cried "Richard Williams!" after the infamous, hard-driving father of the Williams sisters, Anne said it was THEIR decision to put in the pool time while on vacay. "They're really, really good," she added. And so, though it should have come as no surprise, I was astonished to see them looping around the 2nd fastest lane when we went to pick them up one morning. 2 girls at least half the age of all the other swimmers. I was as impressed and proud as if they were my own. You go little swimmers! You go.
HAIGHT ST: In a Tibetan shop, the kind you find on every other block of the Haight, Anne and I bought matching turquoise rings - giant patchworks of blue in a beaded silver setting. As mine was cleaned I watched the woman behind the counter close her eyes and asked if she was blessing mine for good luck. She proceeded to have each of us put on our rings then held our hands aloft in the air as she hummed and chanted along with the rhythmic music playing in the background. She closed her eyes, held on to our hands and repeated the words We only have this moment. This one moment. Live in this moment. And as she continued to chant and repeat the words, she lifted our hands high above her head, eyes closed, before softly letting them float back to the counter. She then clipped a rose bud for each of the girls in our group before sending us off. Anne and I think we were married. I think I now have a wife who lives in Illinois.
PIANO at SPORTY B'S: A) Did you ever notice there was a stand up piano at the Sports Basement in the Mish? B) Did you ever sit on the couches and listen to someone you know play? Athletic, smart, beautiful and musical? Nia didn't take any of my requests for Supertramp or Freebird but she charmed nonetheless. Where did these kids come from? If I knew kids were this great I might have given more thought to having one. Fortunately, I'm perfectly happy living vicariously through my parent-type friends.ADVICE: When your friend invites speculation and advice from her own children on her single friend's dating life, what is there to do but engage and give thoughtful consideration to the unjaded, unguarded, optimistic thinking that only 2 girls aged 11 and 14 could offer? While trying to explain that the sex life of a single girl in her 40's is vast and varied in comparison to that of their long-married mom.
Comments