You’ll have to excuse me. I haven’t been this old before

So here we are. Some things affect me differently now. When I was a kid it used to really annoy me to have to sleep. Admit it. It’s a total waste of time. I could have been collecting rocks or leaves or building dams in the swamp or chopping small trees with my camp axe. I could have been reading more of The Count of Monte Cristo, or Jack O’Brien’s stories of mountie Jim Thorne and Silver Chief, or Jim Kjelgaard’s dog books, or Shirer’s The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. I used to lie awake holding my eyes open in defiance of parental orders for lights out until I fell asleep anyway. In those days flashlights were horrible as well as expensive. I just stayed mad in the dark as long as I could. Winter nights with a little snow offered only slight relief. I had a switch in my room for the gable light. If it were snowing I could watch the snow in the light and eke a little satisfaction from that. At least there was something productive to do, and maybe they’ll cancel school the next day! Right. Like that was going to happen. Young boys can glean hope from the slimmest inspiration. It kept me going.