This is part of the weekly Blogging Challenge over at Long and Short Reviews. If you'd like to participate, you can find the prompts here. They also put up a post every Wednesday where you go and link your response -- and see everyone else's. Check out their homepage to find it.
This week we're looking at memories. Specifically, we're going off the prompt My Favorite Memory and Why.
Memory, as I've mentioned before, is a funny topic for me; memories are both important and unreliable. And honestly, these days I don't spend as much time looking through my memories as I used to -- mostly, I think, because I'm too busy. I don't get that time to just sit and think (and if we're being honest, I kind of miss it).
But my favorite memory? If I'd looked at this earlier, I could probably have given you a pretty decent answer. I have a lot of good memories, and a lot of memories that might not exactly be good, but are very memorable (if that's not redundant). But without a prompt like this, I don't really go back through them looking for the high points. If I'm ever about to die and my whole life flashes before my eyes, I'm going to spend a fair chunk of it thinking, "Oh, yeah! That did happen, didn't it?"
So, I mean... having fun as a kid? Plenty of good memories there, from biking around the neighborhood to doing unlikely things at summer camp, but nothing I'd particularly consider a favorite. First kiss? Pretty meh, actually. Neither of us knew what we were doings, and... yeah. Hanging out at the 7-Eleven before school in high school? That was low-key fun, but again not really a favorite. (Though there was that one time when a police officer pulled into the parking lot just as we were all jumping into our cars to head back to the school, and the guy running the 7-Eleven came rushing out to reassure the officer that no, we hadn't been causing trouble and hadn't fled at his approach and actually we were going a long way towards keeping him in business.) College had some interesting moments (like that one time I fell off a cliff or when I was climbing around the buildings at night) but again... nothing I'd count as a favorite, exactly.
So maybe I could just find a favorite memory? All right: when we were young, my father use to read to us from the Winnie the Pooh books before bed. I would have been seven or eight, and my brother would have been three or four. It's a memory without a lot of detail, anymore: I couldn't tell you much of what happened in any of the stories, or particular instances. What I remember mostly is the fact of it, that he read to us many nights. (And that he did the voices for the characters.) It's been decades, but I still remember that.
And that's a good memory.
Haha! Is anyone's first kiss more than just "meh"? And I love that your dad used to read to you! It's my goal to always read to my kids during their childhood. My 2-year-old son's favorite book is "Pout Pout Fish".
ReplyDeleteI love how fundamentally weird kids' books are. And no, I think most First Kisses are probably pretty Meh.
DeleteI like your favorite memory... goes to show that it's really the time spent with the people we care about that matters.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think it really does.
DeleteGreat memory. I hope my kids can look back and remember things we did together. First kiss? Mine was more than "meh"... .I thought I was going to gag (there was no warm up, just sayin'). My second kiss though? (different guy).. mmmmmm..much better!
ReplyDeleteI firmly maintain that an unwanted First Kiss doesn't count. It might still be meh even if you wanted it, but if you didn't? That's a different category of experience.
DeleteWhat a lovely memory. I'm glad your dad did that for you.
ReplyDeleteAnd poor Judy! My first kiss was pretty bleh, too.
My <a href="http://lydiaschoch.com/wednesday-weekly-blogging-challenge-my-favourite-memory-and-why/>post</a>.
I think I need to tell him that I still remember that.
DeleteMy mom used to read to us before we went to bed, too. I'd always beg for another chapter. Every time, I wanted another chapter. :-)
ReplyDeleteAlways!
DeleteRemembering your father reading to you is a truly cherished memory and something that saw you through your whole life.
ReplyDeleteIf there's one thing I never worried about when I was growing up, it was whether my parents cared. (By my teens, there were some moments when I wished they cared just a little bit less, but... I knew they cared.)
DeleteStory time was always a great time, whether it was at home or at the library. Reading is so important to a child's life. Thanks for sharing. Here's mine. https://www.tenastetler.com/lsrs-wednesdays-blog-challenge-2-26-2020-sand-dunes/
ReplyDeleteIt is, and thanks for dropping by.
DeleteI think it's brilliant your dad read to you, Michael. Such an important and special thing, and Pooh too!
ReplyDeleteAs for that first kiss, I suspect the 'meh' reaction was the same for many of us.
He's a good dad. I think I'll keep him. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI'm so glad to run across other people who remember being read to as a child. I fear we're entering an era where tomorrow's generation won't have this. And that it was your dad reading? Fantastic! I think so many probably remember their mothers doing the reading.
ReplyDelete