Childhood Memories

I don’t know when “#TBT” (Throwback Thursday) started on facebook, but it was fairly recently. Well, today I couldn’t find any old pictures since I was at work, so I shared a memory instead.

Childhood memories are really funny things. First off, you don’t always remember reality, just your perception (this is for people of all ages). Second, when you recreate parts of those memories in your mind, they just don’t match up to what should have happened. And third, some of those memories are super vivid – more so than more recent ones. (This last is a really good argument for parents to focus on their kids having good memories. That doesn’t mean spoil them mercilessly!)

My shared memory today was of class in elementary, or perhaps middle school. Truthfully, I’m not sure how old I was, but it had to have been fourth grade or older.

I remember walking from the school I attended – Loretto Academy – to the nearby historic Concordia Cemetery to do grave rubbings. It wasn’t a long walk, and I remember whoever the teacher was that accompanied us allowed us to buy Icees at the convenience store.

I do not remember travelling along a busy street, or crossing a major highway! However, when I looked at the map, I’m pretty sure that the school, cemetery and highway are in the same places they were in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

This cemetery, though, has starred in my dreams multiple times. I’ve been to other cemeteries, but this one stuck. Google and Bing maps bring back the essence, though it doesn’t look exactly like I remember. Then again, we’re looking at 35 years later.

Thinking back, I’ve had quite a few dreams that involved me walking around a city. I never paid a lot of attention, as I assumed that I knew where I was; but I think it might be that same area. In fact I’m pretty sure it is, as there is always a cemetery near the junction of two highways (in this case, I-54 and I-10; El Pasoans call it the “Spaghetti Bowl” for good reason).

When I dream of churches, I dream of the two chapels at the school. I also have a hill dream, where I am walking up a steep hill; on one side is a school and on the other is – Wonderland, I guess. It changes. But that hill was between the elementary and where we caught the buses.

Dreams of small theaters take me to the one under the large chapel at the school, and I’ve dreamt of the dormitories that were later converted into classrooms.

My public high schools and college don’t inspire those dreams. When I’m dreaming of working, again I am back in those halls. The bitter-putrid smell of the granules they used to soak up vomit is stuck in my mind forever, as is the taste of the greasy rectangular pizza, limp fries, cinnamon churros and watery soda in a cup from a machine that I bought nearly every day for lunch (50¢ for the pizza, 25¢ for the fries, and 25¢ for the soda; some days I would buy a churro instead of fries or I’d bring extra money).

Other pieces of my childhood pop up unexpectedly, but I spent so much time at Loretto that it is no surprise that it stars so frequently in my dreams.

Through the Eyes of a Child

We took the kids to the Newport Aquarium last week. The teenager was unimpressed, though the last time we went he was thrilled with the otters. The toddler, though… Well, she was fascinated.

***

Imagine, if you can, being in a big crowd of people you don’t know. Your Mommy is right there with you. Some guy with a weird hat is talking, and there are these funny looking birds on a platform. Mommy calls them “penguins”. They’re black and white and smell a little odd. Mommy wants you to get closer, but you’re not keen on all these strangers so you glue yourself to her, little hands with a tight grip on her fingers, but you’re still looking avidly. Then the crowd goes away, and Daddy takes you closer to the birds. They’re behind clear plastic, so you can’t touch them. Daddy tries to back off so Mommy can get a picture, but you’re not about to let that happen.

Then Daddy puts you back in your stroller and you go into a little box with big fishies on the walls. All the sudden it goes down! Then back out, and into a tunnel where the ceiling and walls are full of things swimming around.

You go from room to room, where there are windows in the walls with neat creatures; Mommy, Daddy and Brother call them “sharks”, “snakes”, “frogs”, and a bunch of other words. Just too many to remember them all!

Mommy and Daddy take lots of pictures. Soon, there’s a place where you can put your hand in the water! Oooh, water’s fun. And things are swimming in the water – this is not like the doggy’s water bowl! One brushes past, and it’s soft and bumpy. Mommy calls it a “horseshoe crab”.

Another place is dark but there’s a big TV screen – no, wait, it’s another aquarium, and there’s a fish lady in front of it! Daddy calls her a “mermaid” and takes you up so you can have your picture taken with her. Umm, yeah, no more strange people, Daddy! So he hangs out in the picture with you.

In one room there are these big things to climb on, and they have big buttons to press. When you press the buttons, they make funny noises! Mommy takes lots of pictures of you climbing on these things. She calls them “frogs”.

Pretty soon, though, you’re getting kind of tired and hungry. Mommy gives you a juice box, and you squirt it all over her hand. This is fun! And wait – there are people in funny suits in the water behind the glass, with the “sharks”. Then, you stop in a place with tables and Mommy gets pizza to eat.

After you eat, you go into a new little area, where those funny birds are again, only they’re behind glass. Mommy holds you and rocks you a little, and you see sparkly white things on the ceiling, moving around. Mommy says these are “snowflakes” but they’re not real. Real or not, they’re neat to look at! And then everyone gets up and goes to the next area, where there are more of the funny birds… But these don’t move, like the frogs before. Mommy gets lots of pictures there.

Something called “the Rainforest” is closed, and Mommy and Daddy are disappointed because Brother likes the “otters”. Then back up to a place full of toys and clothes and oh my goodness! Mommy gets you a travel cup because you won’t put it down, and a t-shirt.

***

Just wait till she goes to the Zoo.