Being carefree

dorset that is lovely. It's giving me ex-ci-tations reading about the fun you had

HaHa Grannyknot I went and found my Beach Boys CD and popped the song on and away I was - twenty-two again. No high blood pressure or arthritis. Just my Mary Quant dress and Vidal Sasson style hair do. Them were the days!!!!

Oh yes the Beach boys! There's freedom.

Childhood had issues but when they were in the background my carefree years were 3-10.

I was happy at school, had a lot of friends, felt loved, a nice family, loving school and schoolwork, loving playing outside, healthy, no bills, lots of good food, safe at home, loved my toys and books and comics.....

then along comes the stepfather.....

dorset them were the days indeed for you!

I'm very of your memories of those carefree times

From my earliest memories I have always had responsibility for caring for other people. My mother left home for two years when I was just five years old and my siblings were aged 7, 6, and 3. My older sister is not, and has never been, maternal and so my brothers looked to me for mothering and that has been my role throughout my life - one which I'm happy and comfortable with I hasten to add.
The only time in my life when I was without immediate cares or responsibilities was last year when I celebrated my 60th birthday with the Wonderful Man on a two week holiday to Lesvos - it was sheer bliss. Ahh !
(We're going again this year with my parents in law - I'm so looking forward to it.)

I can't remember ever feeling totally carefree. I am a worrier and almost always have something or someone to worry about. On the (very rare) occasions I feel a little teensy bit "free" I tend to bring myself back down to earth with a bump by deliberately thinking of something to spoil the moment. Pathetic isn't it?

No it isn't gilly. I'm the same.

I wonder what makes us like this KatyK? More often than not with me its a feeling of guilt (why should I be having a nice time?) or a feeling that if I have a good time or dare to enjoy myself then there will be a pay-back.

I don't know gilly. Without appearing to be pathetic myself and have a 'poor me' attitude, I think, with me anyway, when you've had a lot of bad things happen you find it hard to enjoy the good, for fear of more bad waiting in the wings. There is a line from a song 'being used to trouble, I anticipate it.....'
My DH has an expression which he uses to describe me. He says 'you would worry and blame yourself if your granny had piles'. I've no idea where he got that one from!

Not to make light of situations where people have had great difficulty in their lives, I want to share a song by Steve Forbert called "Complications" that I love, and that always cheers me up, it makes me smile:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yXTymwDuko

Grannyactivist, have a lovely carefree holiday

Thanks for sharing Grannyknot I really enjoyed it too. Just about sums my life up which is one big "complication"

Gillybob:

"Complications in the wind, complications where you come from, complications where you've been".

It would have been nice to have had carefree teenage years but mine were marred by trying to be as thin as Twiggy and it made my life a misery!!!

I feel more carefree now. Kids sorted, nice job and husband about to retire. Just about enough money so we won't starve. So, yes, I do feel carefree now.

janerowena my life is almost a mirror of yours. I too am the oldest of five. I was left in charge of my siblings not because I was neglected but my mum was very ill. I now realise that being overwhelmed with responsibility at such a young age has probably added to my natural anxious personality. Recognising this has made it easier to live with. So i'v never really been carefree. My happiest time was when I was 'courting' 40 years ago. I am about to revisit the village were we met, married and had our first baby. I'm looking forward to it but part of me wonders if its best to leave memories alone. Revisiting may be a disappointment! I hope not

(Hi Marty)

I'm encouraged that so many people find this time in their lives to be carefree, I'll soon join the ranks of the slackers semi-retired

I caught the end of a programme on BBC last night about the Stones.
Old footage of Mick cavorting in a pink satin suit doing Brown Sugar, and other old clips of Jumping Jack Flash (apparently named after Keith Richards' gardener) and Honky Tonk Woman.
Those songs spanned my student years and seeing the contemporary footage brought it all back and made me perhaps realise that those days were perhaps more carefree than I thought.
Still enjoying life now, though