I discovered over the weekend that I spent at Mile Hi Con in Denver that there are some things that you really have to experience as a child.  If you wait the magic just doesn’t happen. Some things I’ve taken to like a duck-to-water.  Video gaming, Lady Gaga, Rhianna, Adele, Facebook.  Other things — not so much.

The reason for this reflection happened at a barbecue over at Lou Berger’s house.  There was great barbecue with really kick-ass hot sauce.  It was hot even to me, but delicious.  Lou builds a fire in a garbage can that he calls his “red-neck” fire pit, and later in the evening people prepared S’Mores.

Confession time.  I have never in my life eaten a S’More.  I was a Girl Scout for about twenty seconds.  I joined thinking we were going to camp, and learn to tie knots, and ride horses.  Instead our scout leader wanted us to make doll cloths.  First off I hated dolls, still hate dolls.  I hate to sew.  I never learned to sew.  I never wanted to sew.  Thanks to my wonderful father I dodged Home Ec in school.  Anyway, apparently the point in your life when you eat S’Mores is when you a kid and a scout.

So, I thought, Hey, I’m always up to try something new.  I tried marijuana when I was in Holland because it was legal there, and I could cross it off my list.

So, I was instructed in the fine points of making S’Mores.  Then I took the assembled mess, and tried a bite.  I couldn’t help it, I burst out “Oh my god, that’s disgusting!”  At  which point Paulo Bacigalupi, author of the wonderful WIND UP GIRL asked,

“Why do you hate America?  Are you a terrorist?  You must hate our freedoms.”  Everyone then jumped on the bandwagon, and a grand time was had by all, me included.  

I should probably mention that the marijuana experiment was equally disappointing though not as disgusting.  Absolutely nothing happened.  It was just boring.  A friend of mine had predicted that would be the outcome, but I had at least crossed it off my list. 

There is a somewhat serious point to this silly story.  I realized once I was back at the hotel that it’s hard as you get older not to start grumbling about those crazy kids, and why is their music so awful, and how can they think like that?  But we really have to fight that tendency.  Generations need to talk to each other to share wisdom and energy to the good of all concerned.  Since we no longer have big extended families where there are babies and toddlers and teenagers, and gaffers and gammers we need to try and find opportunities to get outside our group and our comfort zone.