Saturday 14 April 2012

The World Was My Oyster.



It really doesn't seem that long ago when I was this fresh-faced, idealistic, and ambitious, young Art Student. I must have been 21 when the photo was taken, and at that age the world certainly was my oyster.

My life was all planned. A degree in Painting, a couple of years at The Royal College, then a big successful show at Kasmin's. My future was like a beckoning road, and I was ready to walk straight ahead and grasp everything that it offered.

So, what went wrong? Well I got my good degree, and Prof' Carel Weight provisionally offered me that place at the RCA (which I declined). But life suddenly gangs up on you, and it occasionally chucks the unexpected from the side-lines, such as beautiful women, babies, and having to earn enough cash to survive.

So, I guess I'll have to accept that life's what I made of it. No good looking back and regretting the missed opportunities.

In many ways we're all very similar; we trundle along doing our best, just hoping that when we eventually expire, the world will be no worse a place for our having passed by; maybe, on occasions, even a tad better.

On the inside, I'm still that same fresh-faced optimist in the photo above, and who knows, perhaps I'll wake-up one day and be 21 again. And knowing me, I'd probably make all those same stupid life decisions all over again.


22 comments:

  1. you just have to think-that if you'd gone down the other leg of the Trousers of Time, you'd have missed a lot of the good things that have happened

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    1. One of the dogs had just vomited all over the house... I wasn't in a good mood.

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  2. I often find myself wondering what if? But I reckon that every decision you make was meant to be - good or bad. Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.

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    1. I had a very bad day yesterday... but I won't bore you with it.

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  3. gz has already said what was instantly on my mind reading your post! I think there are quite a few people envying you for the place you live at...
    Hey, that's where I have spent one than more vacation and wish to get back to one day...

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  4. "Non . . . rien de rien . . . Non, je ne regrette rien . . ."
    I don't know about you but I'll be singing that all day now. Go on, louder!

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  5. Regrets are a luxury few of us can afford Cro...best not to go there.

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  6. Bloggertropolis touched on the same theme recently and at this stage of my life I am thinking a lot along those lines - and on the whole feeling pretty good about where I'm at. We've both ended up with a bit of 'The Good Life' even if wasn't part of early aspirations.

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  7. I cringe at many of the decisions I made while I was "growing up". I expect I've a few more up my sleeve, before I pop off :-)

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  8. Ha Ha - poor old Cro. You looked like that the last time I saw you, and I was fortunate enough to witness the downfall caused by the beautiful Swedish girl and the first of your grand-children providers.

    I too was about to become a father, as a result of a one-night stand, and you said, "You'll love it!" Well, I didn't exactly love it, but you did. Cheer up!

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  9. Cute picture. But isn't that the truth? If each of us had a chance to wake up young again, we'd call our friends and do the same stuff that we regret doing now.

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  10. I try not to think what if, but rather concentrate on what is. The decisions I made, including the mistakes, have brought me here. It is not perfect, I have missed some opportunities, but along the way, I have been loved. I could not ask for anything more.

    I hope you are feeling better today, and can work out whatever happened to make you upset yesterday.

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  11. Missing the Lady, maybe? (besides the dog getting sick all over the place)

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  12. To re-pose a question put by the late actress Ruth Gordon, "How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were?"

    For me, about 24.

    (Notice in good artistic French fashion, I'm posing a question, not asking.)

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  13. youthful dreams and schemes provide the motivation to get up every day and strive. Then, like you say, life happens. Some people's childhood and youthful dreams come true, but for the most of us, we adapt given a set of choices we believe we had at any given time. If you really play out the fantasy in your head, that life you thought you wanted would be full of it's own hassles and woes.

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  14. We have to live according to the hand that is dealt to us. Like mentioned above, some are lucky, the the rest of us "life happens".
    You are handsome and very dashing, Mr. M. The Lovely Lady M is very blessed indeed.
    Have a wonderful weekend.

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  15. Life is a corridor of doors - once opening and entering through a door there is no going back - and ahead of us lies another corridor of doors. At the end of our time there is only the black door!

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  16. I've got a major crush on the young you...

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