Fond Younger Memories
Fond Younger Memories – By Jaanu
Memory is a curious thing. Sometimes you try furiously to remember a thought, yet for all your efforts, the struggle to recall is fruitless – and yet, in other instances, an entirely unnecessary memory pops into your head, disturbing your own tranquility and establishing itself so firmly in your mind that no amount of physical shaking can knock the memory out again. It is this latter class of unforgettable childhood memory that I reference in this piece. I have two memories to speak of, both of which are as crystal clear to me now as they ever were.
I remember wearing a light pink winter jacket as a kindergartener and staring out the door of the apartment that we lived in at the time. It was snowing at the time, and I remember looking at the sky, through the smudged glass of the apartment front door, and thinking that the snow looked beautiful. I don’t remember anything else about that day, but I’ve never forgotten how it felt to stand there in the entryway in my winter coat and stare at the snow. Another fond memory is the recollection of swimming in Walden Pond, famous today for being home to the brilliant writer Henry David Thoreau in the 19th century. I think I was in preschool or in kindergarten at the time. The drive to Walden Pond always felt very long, though I don’t recall it ever being dull. We’d load up the car with snacks and towels and sunscreen and all the pond gear and take off to The Pond. It was a quintessential, fairy tale kind of childhood swimming pond. There was a railroad nearby; once the adults confirmed that no real engine was in the vicinity, we’d run up to the train tracks and put our ears to the metal, listening as hard as we could.
Can you recall any of your earliest memories? Let us know! 😊
“Every summer, like the roses, childhood returns.” ~ Marty Rubin
Happy Summer, readers! Be well.
