I tend to think about my past in 2D – frozen fragments of time from an old picture album or a memory played back in my mind like a movie. But during my visit to my parent’s house over the weekend, my memories exploded into 3D. Jogging through our old neighborhood and visiting with friends, I was brought back to my elementary years. It was a simpler time, before the stress and drama of junior high, before the decisions of high school, and before the responsibilities of adulthood.
Here’s a few gifts of memory that I unwrapped…
#83: Riding my dusty rose Huffy bike around the neighborhood…complete with a banana seat and beads on the wheel spokes
#84: Sitting at the top of the hill at the end of Stony Point Trail before taking the plunge
#85: Scaling the perfect climbing tree in our front yard using the branches as stair steps and pretending it was our “house”
#86: Inching out around the edge of the pool before cannonballing into the water
#87: Sleeping in the guest bedroom (complete with scratchy comforter) with my friend Tiffany
#88: Building palaces for our dolls out of Lincoln Logs and Legos
#89: Swinging on the four-seater swing with my sisters, pretending we were going to “Strawberry Land”
#90: Dancing to Oldies music in our basement for our “50’s Diner Party”, complete with poodle skirts and cheeseburgers
#91: Snuggling with my stuffed bunny, Fluffy and my stuffed raccoon, Rocky (who has a stuffed raccoon anyways?)
#92: Reading after bedtime huddled next to my tiny orange crab nightlight
#93: Dressing up in old ballet costumes and pretending we were music boxes that came to life
#94: Recording songs, shows, and stories on our little Fisher Price tape recorder
#95: Attending Dewitt Road School with my all-time favorite teacher, Mrs. Bundy
#96: Watching people get “slimed” on Nickelodeon at a neighbor’s house
#97: Eating Norwegian Hotdish and homemade waffles around our kitchen table (not at the same time)
#98: Reading…and reading…and reading…
#99: Beating Patrick Duffy in a foot race on the school playground
#100: Playing Barbies and My Little Ponies with my sisters and Mary Beth
It makes me nostalgic and extremely thankful for the gift of memory. It also reminds me that my kids are entering the time in their lives where they will start to remember things long-term. I wonder what will they remember about their childhood days?
