Thursday, July 18, 2013

Do Y'all Have This Problem?

I was helping DoodleBug fold her laundry the other day and I came across a pair of what used to be white 'biker' shorts- you know, spandex leggings in the form of shorts. I commented, "Been wearing these much?" And laughed. Oh, she still wears them alright. And she's had them since she played softball. When she was 10. Are you kidding me?

I asked her whether or not she had others. She does. Several pair. She wears these under her shorts while playing Ultimate Frisbee. But she still has and wears the ones she wore over a decade ago. Why?

I think it has something to do with nostalgia.

I have a few things that I keep for no other reason than they belonged to someone close to me or they remind me of some wonderful memory of my childhood.

I tend towards old movies because the actors or the movies themselves remind me of my grandparents or the good things about growing up. I even get sad when an actor of that time passes on.

There are songs on my various playlists that take me right back to those same wonderful memories.

Even a sound or smell can take me back. And I am so grateful for that. I relish those memories. They keep me close to my grandparents, even though they've been gone for a long time now.

Sometimes, my nostalgia overwhelms me and makes me long for days long gone by. But even when it does that, it's not a bad thing. I quite appreciate my nostalgic moments.

Right now, they are taking me back to the long, lazy days of summer...

  • the sound of the window fan in my bedroom at night lulling me to sleep with it's soft humming
  • the sound of the cicadas singing as we ran around the yard chasing lightning bugs
  • the sound from the neighborhood pool- kids having fun- laughing, squealing, splashing-- 'Marco!' 'Polo!'
  • the sound of the screen door slamming
  • the lawn mower, barking dogs, rain beating against the house, the ice cream truck...
When school starts back, and the weather finally starts to cool just a bit, I'll be transported back to my own school days and the glorious fall season that I loved so much. And still do. Some things never change.

Every season brings a revisit to my childhood. A revisit to the childhood of the lovelies. And a brand new opportunity to make new memories.

Where do your summer memories take you?






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7 comments:

  1. I love this post today! I have a lot of things I hold onto because of memories. ;)
    I love old movies and when a song comes on from our highschool/dating years...both the hubs and I look at each other and smile.

    Smells do that too...popcorn and black coffee can bring back childhood memories of my dad who LIVED on these two things! :)

    Summer memories of traveling and playing in the sand...yep, loved this post!

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  2. Have you been talking to my daughter???? I will not throw things away just because they are OLD! If they still fit (which I've been the same size for 30 years) and they look decent, I wear them as long as they are "in"...:)JP

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  3. So lovely and full of wonderful sweet memories. You know right now I have a padlock on memories. Just trying not to go there very much.
    But yes, to all of your lovely thoughts, yes, things do trigger them, like the other day, my play list was on shuffle, and the song was you are my sunshine. I was a little, little girl and my Dad had me in his arms dancing with me singing in my ear. I had to get out of there fast. But yes, songs can and smells trigger so much. I saw school supplies today, I want new crayons and new pencils and new notebooks every single year. I love the smell of the classrooms.

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  4. Where would we be without our wonderful memories? I was blessed with a great childhood and a loving, nurturing family, and also get warm and fuzzy when something "takes me back". Great post!

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  5. Melody- I'm so glad you liked it! You reminded me of my dad making popcorn on the weekends. I loved his popcorn- he always drizzled melted butter over it. So good!

    JP- Haha! My husband doesn't throw anything away either. I've really gotten on him about that lately. I told him he couldn't keep it all here and that he would have to find somewhere for it or I was going to have it all hauled off and thrown away. When you look at the stuff I keep, it doesn't even fill half of the attic. HEY! How is it that you can stay the same size for 30 years???? LUCKY! I'm so jealous!

    Kim- Sometimes I can't go to a certain memory either. We couldn't sing You Are My Sunshine around here because it always made Breezy cry! She still cries when she hears it. School supplies ROCK! :)

    Terri- I was blessed with a wonderful childhood also. I do love going back most of the time. Especially if it's a memory surrounding my grandparents. Thanks!

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  6. Enjoyed this post. I love memories from the past. Music especially takes me back in time or a soft serve ice cream cone reminds of the weekends my dad drove us to Michigan to my grandparents summer home, we would always stop for a soft serve cone!

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  7. Music,old photos and certain sounds will take me back to moments and times. Oh,and I know what you mean about old movies and stars, I get the same way.

    Lucy from Lucy's Reality

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Thank you so much for taking the time to comment! It makes me feel connected to everyone even though we may live far apart! Have a wonderful day!

 
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