This is a bit of a trip down LiVEwiRE lane... feel free to come along and I'll tell you about a few of the things I've rediscovered.
Much to my chagrin, I found grade school pictures. Ugh. Was I ever that small? And who on earth thought glasses with each lens the size of a saucer would be a good look on anyone?! I look back at the group photo of my class and can remember most of their names and little things about each of them. With a little more time I'm sure I'll remember all of the names. For some reason this is important to me. I wonder where they all are now. Not just that I wonder, but I really have the desire to know.
Then there were various greeting cards. Several of them were from when I was rather young. Let me tell you right now, greeting cards from the 1970s were ugly. All yellow and orange and brown. Who puts brown on greeting cards... come on?! Funniest thing about it was the price; 40 cents, 50 cents and a top price of 65 cents. And these were nice cards; ugly, but good quality. With these cards, I saw two items of great significance. The first was my grandfather's name signed on a card. He's been gone for 14 years yet seeing his name made me miss him so much. The other thing that caught my eye was that my grandparents (maternal; same as the grandfather I just spoke of) had signed their last name to a card - as in Grandma and Grandpa XXXXXXXXX. I truly never recall seeing that before. After my parents divorced I had limited contact with the other side of the family. 'Limited' is being generous and it didn't last long at all. Just so odd to think back to a time when there was even a need to designate which grandparents a card was from. Even trying to, I can't think of it; at all.
Jumping to age 18, I was in art school and met a guy through a mutual acquaintance and we dated briefly. To this day I think of him. His name was Robert Jackson and he was the first guy to ever write me a poem. We were quite a pair; he was tall and rather muscular while I had purple hair, he was as rich, dark brown as I was a pale, milky white. Today I found his poem: Green eyes, pretty smile, warm heart - very lovely woman. I feel wanted by her warm heart already. Reminds me of home, but how do we describe home? To Robert, home is where I find the warmth; the joy of life. Throughout my life I feel the heart of home sweet like wine; but she is wine. (signed) Pen & Paper Wow. How sweet was that really? I omitted the last line because it included my name although I don't think it changed the sentiment. Not necessarily award winning in certain circles, but it had meaning to me. It would be years until a guy would write me a poem again. This year, in fact.
Another gem was finding a couple of cards and gifts from 2 of my former roommates. About 8 years ago I lived in a great old house (lots of wood, pocket doors, built-ins and leaded glass) with 2 guys, one of which owned the house. I think I lived with them for a year and a half then after that we all 'broke up' and each went on our own way. They were two of the best guys I've ever known yet we managed to lose touch. Looking at the gifts they'd given me I realized just how well they knew me; right down to the dark, sarcasm-laden cards that went with them. I can still remember the smell of the wooden cupboards.
I didn't plan on going through these boxes today and now that I have, there is nothing I can do to change it. Some of the things were great to see. Some of them led to more questions. Yet others make me think of what could have been, what was and shouldn't have been, and what was/wasn't that I never knew about either way.
Damn I hate free time.
14 comments:
If only there was a way to always know how to get in touch, when possible. I've kept the notes people left on my door when I lived in student halls, and I miss them all. What's become of them? Notes, cards, photos, all are lovely mementoes, but they make the missing harder.
It's too early to comment coherently.
Good point about going thru all those old boxes...it would stir up memories (good and bad, I suppose).
I have boxes and boxes of stuff I have to go thru but I've been putting it off as long as possible. Maybe you've now enlightened me as to the REAL reason I haven't gone thru them yet....
I never really had any of that, I nevr had many good friends(still don't), and now don't really have anything as a memory for that period of my life. Worse than than that, it wasn't even that long ago, and I have already forgotten so much of it. Looking back now though, the people I knew in that time were, generally, good people. Shame you have to drift apart. Damn, memory lane is a bit of a misery isn't it.
I would hate to think about finding something like that, cause my memory is so bad I would be afriad that I would not remember half the stuff I was looking at. It's good to think of all the old memories, but always remember you're making new memories even now and you never know who or what will be important to you in the years to come.
EVERYTHING in the 70's was yellow and orange and brown -- if it wasn't avocado. What a colorful decade! It puts me in the mood for fondue. I constantly think of grade school people and have this real need to know where they are and what they're doing, though the urge is inexplicable because I didn't like any of them much. I have done what you did, gone back through the me-moribilia, and it's always bittersweet. But finding poetry is always nice.
I am a hoarder and have tons of crap, or should I say memories, stored in boxes. I am really good at remembering my childhood, it is the later years (late teens and onwards) I am not good at remembering.
There has to be a logical explanation for this... but I am damned if I can remember what it is!
Nice one LiVEewiRe... enjoyed walking down memory lane with you.
I have no regrets in my life.
And I didn't think that was so unusual until I had it pointed out to me sometime ago.
But my attitude is this: I did all that I could at that precise moment and while I might have been able to do better, I did my best at that moment.
If you regret the past you'll only fear the future...
Great post. Sadly, I am cursed with an abominably poor memory, so I am doomed to repeat history. My keepsakes would be more accurately termed don't-rememorabilia.
I keep all my stuff like that in scrapbooks now. It's crazy to look back on what seem like former lifetimes.
In other news, I hope your encounter with the wall has not left any permanent damage! How are you feeling?
Anne - Regarding the notes left on your door; I think things like that are the hardest to find. It takes you right back to the exact moment in time - when you pulled the note from your door, you had no idea you were making memories, did you?
Stacy - It is good in a way, but you just have to be prepared for all the things that pass before you. You'll no doubt do alot of thinking. Now, if I could only find a reason to avoid dusting and vacuuming! =)
Motormouth - You make me laugh when you say you don't really remember it... wasn't it last week for you? {wink} As time goes on, you may recall more then, things are funny that way. Sometimes Memory Lane could use a good detour!
John - My memory gets worse with each passing day yet some of those items snapped images into my mind as if powered by the sun itself. And you are completely right, todays actions are tomorrows memories.
Justrose - How could I forget avocado!? Especially hip in large appliances! And I'm still laughing about fondue... it was the cool thing. That, macrame and latch-hook rugs. =) Bittersweet is a good word, but I'm compelled to look again. Like a moth to the flame.
Jenn - That is an interesting thought, running into former schoolmates. I've moved quite a bit so it would be really amazing if I'd run into any of them. When you see them you probably get an image of them as a child as well.
Chitty - Like you, there are periods where I can remember and then periods that are just gone. I can't remember my 18th birthday at all. Oddly, no one else (family) can either. I vote for alien abduction! =) And you are always welcome to walk down memory lane with me... just don't trip on my mental clutter and cobwebs!
Wayne - You are smart to realize that when you make choices, you always do the best with what you have 'at that time'. If you live to that code, any walk down memory lane is made better because you know you did the best you could with what you had. How can anyone regret that?
Kyknoord - Thanks for stopping by! "don't-rememorabilia"; you have no idea how well that describes me! I even get tired of hearing 'myself' say 'I don't remember'. Not long ago I found a journal entry (from about 1989) detailing the first Major League Baseball game that I'd gone to, along with the ticket stub. No recollection. Nothing. Yet it was real... go figure.
Jay - Scrapbooking sounds like a good idea but I don't have organizational skills either! =) It is like another world when you look through some of those things. And thanks for asking about the 'toe incident'... toe, wall, and pride intact. Still working on coordination and avoiding future occurances.
Wraith - That brings up an interesting subject - I've never gone to one. I have a hard time 'pretending' and I'm afraid it would be upsetting to try it. And the thought of it takes me right to the Romy & Michelle movie. Gah! Make sure you watch it before you go to one!
No, it wasn't that long ago, well I left senior school 3 years ago, and I left junior school 8 years ago. I blame alcahol. Actually, I probably just have a selective memory. I remember all sorts of facts about my fave bands and things like that, but anything that relates to life seems to pass me by.
Motormouth - I am the same in many ways, but unfortunately there is no pattern to what I remember. Perhaps latent alcohol effects. Who are you again? heehee
OMG! Thank you for this.
Bud - You are very welcome ;)
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