{"id":349,"date":"2018-01-07T08:53:04","date_gmt":"2018-01-07T13:53:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=349"},"modified":"2018-02-19T16:41:30","modified_gmt":"2018-02-19T21:41:30","slug":"fwd-tomorrow-never-comes-kids-swim-in-swamp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=349","title":{"rendered":"TOMORROW NEVER COMES (KIDS SWIM IN SWAMP)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Impulse. \u00a0\u201cLet\u2019s ask all of Andrew\u2019s friends up to the farm to swim in the swamp.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cboys \u00a0and girls?\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe whole bunch.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cWhat about the risks?\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cRisks?\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cSomeone could drown\u2026pushing and pulling\u2026water will be \u00a0muddied up.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cNever going to happen\u2026.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u2018I often think of that poem by Edna Jacques that grandma sent me when I worked in the bush. \u00a0I told her in \u00a0letter how the bloodsucker \u00a0black flies, deer flies, \u00a0mosquitoes, moose flies., were driving me mad.<\/div>\n
She sent me this poem hand written in her shaky scrawl for she had advanced Parkinson\u2019s at the time. \u00a0Never let that slow \u00a0her down. \u00a0I think she wanted \u00a0me to develop a philosophy of life \u00a0To see sunshine where there \u00a0are storm clouds.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe poem\u2026do you remember it?\u201d<\/div>\n
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Sure: \u00a0\u201cIf you keep your nose to \u00a0the \u00a0grindstone rough<\/div>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 A nd hold it down \u00a0there long \u00a0enough,<\/div>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0In time you\u2019ll say, \u2018There no such thing<\/div>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0as frogs that croak and \u00a0birds that sing.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cWhat does that have to do with those kids and \u00a0the pond.?\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cIf we spend \u00a0all our time worrying about the \u2018what ifs\u2019 in life, we will miss a lot of the joy.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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So we did it\u2026filled \u00a0the \u00a0raft with 10 year olds on one hot summer day.. At the time we thought we could \u00a0have the kids \u00a0up the farm often. \u00a0Thinking That this \u00a0was just the beginning. \u00a0But that never happened. \u00a0The party was a one time occasion. \u00a0They raised \u00a0hell as \u00a0you can see. They did \u00a0not consider the other creatures of the \u00a0swamp pool. \u00a0Did not even know. The kids did not know that our big snapping turtles lived in the swamp pond. \u00a0She had been there as \u00a0long as \u00a0we could remember. \u00a0She only came out to lay her eggs \u00a0about mid \u00a0July. \u00a0Her breath was enough knock you over. Kissing her was never a consideration. \u00a0Rarely even saw \u00a0her. \u00a0 She was there though. \u00a0But she was not possessive. \u00a0She shared \u00a0the pond. \u00a0Probably seemed like just another moss covered rock in the pond bottom. \u00a0A stepping stone.<\/div>\n
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\u201cAnd the leeches, Alan, what about those black devils?\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cKids move too fast for leeches. \u00a0You know what leeches like are waders\u2026people who stand \u00a0in still waters wondering about the deep. \u00a0Leeches \u00a0like \u00a0them.\u00a0 None of Andrew\u2019s \u00a0friends ever stand \u00a0still.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Ad so we captured a \u00a0moment in time that would never be repeated.. \u00a0Seized and \u00a0held it. \u00a0Chedrished \u00a0it. \u00a0Still do.<\/div>\n
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We have had lots \u00a0of those in our life. \u00a0 We like to seize the moment.<\/div>\n
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TOMORROW \u00a0NEVER COMES.<\/div>\n
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One other of those moments comes to mind. \u00a0Summer day. \u00a0 We were on the way to Cooperstonw, New York, where I had \u00a0purchased \u00a0an<\/div>\n
ancient grain sheller from an abandoned \u00a0grist mill. \u00a0That was our purpose but it was not the only purpose. \u00a0Some \u00a0people hate \u00a0distractions. \u00a0They have minds honed sharp as a butcher knife. \u00a0Grindstone minds. \u00a0And they \u00a0are good people, do not get me wrong. \u00a0 My problem, if it is a problem, is that I am easily distracted. Ready to revel in a golden moment on the periphery. \u00a0And there, on a sideroad \u00a0to Cooperstown long ago one of those moments happened.<\/div>\n
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It was a hot summer day. \u00a0Persperation hot.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWhat are you \u00a0braking for, we\u2019re late.?\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cDid you see that?\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cWay over there where the river takes a hook.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cKids swimming\u2026lots of \u00a0kids\u2026 so what?.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cWell \u00a0we are going to join them. \u00a0Strip down and put on your suit.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cNo, why don\u2019t we \u00a0do it tomorrow? \u00a0Tomorrow, when the kids \u00a0are gone.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cTOMORROW NEVER COMES!\u201d<\/div>\n
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And most of us did strip, except for Doug. \u00a0He could \u00a0have stripped and dived in with the rest of us\u2026Marjorie, Kevin, Andrew\u2026but my friend, Doug, did \u00a0not. \u00a0After the swim, when we were changing back into dry clothes \u00a0on the riverbank, I said to him.<\/div>\n
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\u201cDoug, you should \u00a0have joined \u00a0us. \u00a0It was delightful.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cMaybe I will tomorrow,\u201d, he said.<\/div>\n
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\u201cTomorrow Never \u00a0Comes,\u201d \u00a0I said\u2026a kind of throwaway remark. \u00a0Not meant to hurt.<\/div>\n
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And then a very strange thing happened. \u00a0One of the little boys\u2026a kid who just happened to be \u00a0in earshot of our venture. \u00a0A kid who listens\u2026a kid who like most kids \u00a0was trying to puzzle out the meaning of life on this \u00a0earth.\u00a0 Or at least searching for a meaning that he might understand.<\/div>\n
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\u201cYou know,\u201d said \u00a0Doug, \u201cI might just go for a swim here tomorrow.”<\/div>\n
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That little boy looked up and \u00a0said,<\/div>\n
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\u201cTomorrow Never Comes, you know.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Funny how \u00a0some \u00a0comments that seem \u00a0so \u00a0inconsequential can lodge in the brain for a lifetime. The boy had been listening to our conversation all along. \u00a0His words \u2026 repeat of my words \u2026 are engraved forever in my mind.<\/div>\n
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Tomorrow did not come. \u00a0We used a \u00a0block and tackle \u00a0to lower the corn sheller from the uppermost part of the old stone mill to the ground, then levered it into our truck. \u00a0That was \u00a0an \u00a0adventure in itself.\u00a0 Doug liked that and we \u00a0could not\u00a0have got the machine \u00a0to the ground without him. \u00a0Our goal was achieved.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Then we headed home along the same road. \u00a0The river pool was still there. \u00a0No kids. \u00a0We did<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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not stop. \u00a0It was raining and \u00a0cool. \u00a0Yesterday was hot as a pepper sprout as \u00a0the song goes. \u00a0Yesterday was gone.<\/div>\n
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So tomorrow never came.<\/div>\n
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alan skeoch<\/div>\n
Jan 2018<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Impulse. \u00a0\u201cLet\u2019s ask all of Andrew\u2019s friends up to the farm to swim in the swamp.\u201d \u201cboys \u00a0and girls?\u201d \u201cThe whole bunch.\u201d \u201cWhat about the risks?\u201d \u201cRisks?\u201d \u201cSomeone could drown\u2026pushing and pulling\u2026water will be \u00a0muddied up.\u201d \u201cNever going to happen\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=349"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":359,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349\/revisions\/359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}