There’s a Lot Nobody Told Us

Chapter 1

“There’s a lot nobody told us when we were young,” I used to observe to friends.

We’d smile.

The next line would be some variant of, “But we probably wouldn’t have listened anyway.”

Laughter. Nodding.

Chapter 2

At some point my observation changed. I began hearing myself saying, “There’s a lot nobody told us…when we were younger.”

No smiles.

The next line shifted to something along the lines of, “But who listened?”

No laughter. Just nods.

Chapter 3

Then it changed again. My observation included both lines in one breath: “There’s a lot they tried to tell us, but we didn’t listen.”

Painful silence.

Chapter 4

Now we’re the ones trying to tell those who are younger.

Is anybody listening?