The Times They Are A' Changin'

"Joy in looking and comprehending is nature's most beautiful gift." Albert Einstein
I think Einstein would have added, were he a knitter, "a whole lot of yarn and some pattern books are pretty swell too." And how he would have sighed over my gifts last week.
Back in Tennessee, I celebrated early birthdays, including my own. On the subject of gifts received, I write this calmly, thoughtfully and in a highly spiritual and evolved state of mind: I Racked Up.
Yarn, straight needles, more yarn, circular needles, money for more yarn, pattern books, a yarn bag, DVD of "Out of Africa" (to watch while knitting), more pattern books- it was genius.



Also, there were great visits with the parentals, time with friends, and fantastic dinners at many of my favorite places, including this one:

Second great news, after gift-getting, was seeing our good friend Big M graduate from Police Academy (the real kind, not the movie kind, circa 1984). The whole experience was fantastic and odd at the same. Odd, first, because the graduation was at the actual Police Academy, which meant Hubster and I walked through a gaggle of police officers to get to the ceremony. Our conversation went about like this:
Me (eyes darting from badge to badge to badge): Have you done anything wrong?
Hubster (clearly overwhelmed by the number of firearms in the hallway): No. You?
Me: No.
Hubster (nodding at the many uniforms): *Bad word.*
Me: What?
Hubster (barely moving his lips): My license plate tags are expired.
Me (smiling at various officers): *Double bad word.*
Hubster: What?
Me: I steal internet.
Pause.
Hubster: We are going to jail.

Fortunately, Hubster and I both keep a pretty cool head in tense situations and neither of us got cheesed. Which meant Big M was able to thoroughly enjoy his graduation instead of seeing two friends from way back get carted off to the pokey.

Secondly, seeing Big M graduate from police school was fairly mind-boggling. I've known him for 8 or so years, worked at restaurants with him, gone to see awful movies with him, met his girlfriends, avoided his ex-girlfriends, and seen him sprawled on the lawn of the house he and Hubster rented in college, empty beer in hand, swearing if God would only let him out of the hang-over he knew he had coming, he would never, Ever drink again. Now, by law, he can carry a gun, drive a car at high speeds with flashing lights and wear the shiniest black shoes I've ever had the good fortune to come across.

I tried to discuss this with Big M. I asked if maybe they considered giving him something a little simpler than a gun, say, a billy club such as the British coppers at the end of the nineteenth century sported. Big M gave me the look that makes me grateful Hubster Gets Me because others might have me carted off to some place where they do macaroni arts and crafts in the afternoon.

Left alone, to ruminate on the subject of Big M, Man of Law, it struck me, as it does ever so often, in creep-up, horror-film style, that We Are Becoming Adults. Look at the events of the weekend. There's Big M, Police Officer, there's Hubster, fast-promoted manager for one of the world's largest banks, there's Mig and Brindy, as we call them, who brought their eighteen month old son, all the way from Nashville, to see us, there's K already with an offer from a huge Hot-lanta law firm as soon as she graduates next spring, and recent, but dear, friends Nic and Brax, we'll say, getting married in less than a month. Somehow, we all seem, regardless of bizarre circumstances, strange decisions, parents, each other, and getting in our own way, to keep fumbling along that line towards Adulthood and really, I think, we're doing pretty well. Funny, fairly bright, well-mannered (yes, even the males, just go with it), interesting Adults. I wish I might tell you I had Profound and Deep thoughts on this matter when we got home. Really, I can only think of Johnny Carson, in that smooth, dry voice saying, "Wild, wild stuff.".
And I go back to Albert (even without an appreciation for all things yarn) and believe joy in looking and comprehending is nature's most beautiful gift.