� ignorance and innocence � 2004-05-29 � 9:40 p.m. �
Today was graduation day... and as three hundred 18 year olds buzzed around me, I couldn't help but snicker in the ignorance that is... and isn't bliss.
I guess I don't remember at that age feeling, even for a moment, relieved that high school was over. I guess I never felt "Free"... that, afterall, was the word spreading around the room like wild fire.
How young, I thought, how dumb to think it... let alone believe it... The real work begun when they flung their hats.
I don't think I was that dumb at 18... but I suppose I wasn't ever like everyone else, either.
Simplicity is sweet though, and I wish sometimes I could let myself be that naive.
I met a little girl with Down's Syndrome last night at a restaurant... Peeking over the booth seat behind us, she was making faces at my friend... they giggled... and I am sure for a moment, L. was 7 again. Then the girl came over... looked at me and said "May I sit beside you, please?"
"I don't mind, but what does your mom say? You better ask Mom." Really I didn't mind if she wanted to eat with us.
"Mom said if I say Please I can," she tried to get away with her trickery without REALLY asking Mom at all.
"You better double check."
Well of course, it wasn't... and they were on their way out anyway, but she did make a point of introducing Mom to her "new ladies".
"See Mom, I said I had nice new ladies!"
Her mother apologized, for whatever reason she thought she had to, and put the girl's coat on... they headed for the door.... I was sure they had gone when we heard stomping steps running toward us... she stood at the end of our booth and yelled "BYE LADIES!" as loud as she could, and blew us kisses until she could no more.
She was sweet... and at the end of the week I had, I needed something sweet to remind me what it's like... to remind of innocence... to remind me, sometimes life is carefree.
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