Pockets

Ask any ten little boys what they have in their pockets,1

and with the exception of pennies and frogs, chances are,2

you'll get ten different answers.  I kept my pockets full3

with a multitude of things found and saved.  Those pennies4

were actually gold doubloons dropped by the fierce pirate,5

Calhoun.  And the frogs were nothing less than a newly6

discovered species that survived the Ice Age.7

I made full use of my pockets.  Every few weeks, my mother8

would make prunes for dinner.  ` Something about fiber.9

Everyone had to eat at least two before leaving the table.  I10

knew they weren't prunes.  They were seeds; that when planted11

in the alley, would produce a lush tropical jungle one could12

get lost in.  Since there were nine kids in my family, and my13

mother only cooked for eight, supper was a feeding frenzy.14

(my little sister is real skinny.)  It was easy to get away15

with things while we ate; so the prunes went in my pocket.16

To this day, my mother thinks that I'm the only one of her17

kids who likes prunes, since I always "ate" them.  I18

distinctly remember one meal with prunes that I realized to19

my horror, that I had no pockets.  Luckily, my sister next to20

me did.  I remember my mother being baffled about something in the21

laundry the next day.22

I still keep things of great value in my pockets.  I have23

a German 10 phennig that I dwell on from time to time.  Not24

only as a sign of my ancestry, but to remind me there are25

other places on earth besides home.26

A small knife is always with me.  A very devoted tool used27

many times throughout the day.  I'll find small bits of paper28

with vital information that usually end up in the trash.  My29

mother still carries plenty of tissues in her pockets; a30

habit from decades of little runny noses.31

But I'm convinced the older you get, the deeper your32

pockets become.  Check any Grandparent and you'll find depth;33

especially when the grandchildren are around.  The deeper the34

pockets, the more wondrous things will be found.  I'm looking35

forward to becoming old.  If nothing else to see what I'll36

find in my pockets.37

But as I have found in life, pockets are not always made38

of cloth.  The pockets of the mind are very deep.  Some39

things will never be brought out.  Others are there to40

reminisce and share with others.  Many times, what is found41

in the pockets of the mind, are written for all to experience.42

Some profound, some with deep compassion, some humorous.43

Everyone has things in their pockets that do no good.44

They bring cold dark feelings; many times, painful.  They45

take up room and keep the pocket cluttered, making it46

difficult to enjoy life the way it's meant to be.47

Take time to remove that from your pockets that stiffles48

life.  It may be as easy as realizing they are there, and not49

worth keeping.  Some things, you may need help from others.50

But it's important to rid yourself of those.51

You wouldn't carry a glass shard in your shirt pocket.52

Why keep one in the pockets of your mind?  You have more53

control of what you keep than you realize.  You can't keep54

both glass shards and frogs in your pocket.  Discard the55

glass, and donate the frogs to the Smithsonian.56