It has been many years since I had the whole summer by myself, without the necessity of work. Those two long summer months of July and August were great. Everyday, I would get out of bed, call on some friends and just drift into all kinds of trouble.
It is important to note that it was rare that my friends and I made plans. We just rolled with it. No two days were the same but they all seemed wonderfully inventive.
Then between childhood and adulthood, things became a bit more difficult. With parental presure, I had to get a job and with that came a level of financial independence. You could spend money on drink and go to pubs (even if we were two years underage)- listen to live music and fail miserabily trying to chase girls. A lot of fun.
Slowly, this spark disappears. Maybe you take on mortgage or rent payments. In some cases, children will appear and so one is moulded into a responsible adult. Even so, there lingers a desire to break free, to take a day off and do something out of sequence.
I am currently reading Michel Houellenbecqs book "Whatever" and I am amazed by it. Houellenbecq knows the score. It is a very funny read. The mundane life of office work is contrasted with the absurdity of what becomes important as an adult. The line, "Man is a dimished adolescent" says it all. It is a myth to say that the old are always wiser.
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