The exuberance of youth must not be discouraged

Listen to that blackbird sing,

His joyful melody, Crystal clear his voice rings out, Nearby or distantly. And again at twilight, Be uplifted for awhile, As he sings his evening air,

In his own sweet style.

Bob was on his way to get his second vaccination and was feeling quite depressed about the whole situation.

Then there was a sudden, heavy, downpour. He was prepared, but a group of pre-teens outside the vaccination centre weren’t, and they got soaked. Deciding they couldn’t get any wetter, they started splashing each other from the puddles and laughing. They reminded him of birds in a birdbath. And they fairly lifted his spirits. “Our young folk will generally be less responsible than us oldies,” Bob told me. “They’ll be more reckless but hopefully they will bounce back from whatever bugs might bite them as a result of their fun.

“But, they do know how to enjoy life! Us older ones must be responsible but isn’t it nice to be reminded, every now and again, of how much fun innocence was?”