One Thousand Nine Hundred Seventy-Two

I started working through the Spanish language CDs right alongside my girls, but, as with everything else around here, I couldn't spend as much time on it as I'd like, and now I'm behind. Way behind. Like completely dropped out, and no one's even pretending that I might learn Spanish before the Lord comes back.

When you grow up in Texas, you start learning Spanish just about the time you finish learning the pledge of allegiance. In spite of several years' instruction, I have forgotten every bit of it, except for one terrific little phrase: "mil novecientos setenta y dos." It rolls off my tongue quite easily, sort of like a Spanish version of "Super-cali-fragilistic-expiali-docious." Only it's not some silly, made-up, useless little babbling. Not at all! Mil novecientos setenta y dos is a REAL Spanish expression that could come in quite handy in today's globalized world.

It means "1972", and if that's not a pertinent thing to know in a foreign tongue, I don't know what is. This bit could prove invauable if I ever cross the border and need to convey some vital information, like, say, how many calories are in a Mexican Big Mac, or how much a draft horse weighs. Or maybe I'm in on a big discussion about Watergate----where would a big Mexican discussion about Watergate be if no one could say 1972?????

And I know it so well, I think I could say it in my sleep. That's because, at the beginning of junior high Spanish every day, we had to greet the teacher and recite the date. Most of what we said changed often---the day of the week, the date, the month--- and none of this took permanent root in the ol' cerebrum. But no matter the day or month, the classroom chorus always ended with "mil novecientos setenta y dos". 1972.

Back in junior high Spanish days, it was always 1972. And as far as my understanding of the language goes, it always will be. All I have to do, to slow down my fast-paced world, is speak a little Spanish.

On the other hand, we don't really want to go backwards, now do we?