Hello, again, I know it has been a long time since I even thought about posting but finally I am here again. If nothing else I will start by drawing a journal idea from my journalling jar and write a few words and maybe after a while the writing bug will infect me again. so today the subject is (drum roll please) "between the ages of 5-10 what were your favorite activities?
I was a huge daydreamer, I made up lots of stories with myself as the heroine. I liked to be alone (walking home from school, sitting up in a tree, or in the outhouse etc.) so I could talk out loud to my self while I made and told my stories. I was exquisitely embarrused when I was caught talking to myself. I'm sure I liked to watch TV, Rin-Tin-Tin, Lassie, Roy Rogers, Howdy Dowdy, and the spacerace rocket blastoffs. I was also an avid reader of Nancy Drew books. My brother and I would walk to the library at least once a week and check out our 4 allowed books and, in fact, spent one summer just reading, we would each read a book a day (it was somewhat of a competition--this was the summer between fourth and fifth grade) In school, on recess I would swing in swings, chase boys and roller skate. Once, our whole class got involved in a "war game" of sorts where there were two teams and lots of pretend shooting and dramatic death scenes. The girls were the nurses who had to crawl out under the fire or dash out dodging the bullets and touch all the wounded and dead so they would be healed and reborn to fight again. It was quite exciting!! In our home we played a lot of card and board games. Monopoly, Sorry, Clue and Chinese Checkers, along with card games of Gin Rummy, Hearts, Old Maid, Authors, and regular Rummy were popular with myself and my older brother Denver. I spent a lot of time roaming around the countryside dreaming and talking to myself (as I said before) but also looking for discarded pop bottles for me to collect and return for the deposits to buy penny candy. I was never a group of girlfriends kind of person, I was too content to just be by myself but I did have a best friend in Vickie S. I spent a lot of time with her at her house. She was a tiny petite girl and yet she was definately the boss in most of our play. I can remember asking her why we couldn't ever do it the way I wanted to!! I often went to her house to play for a while after school and then have that long walk home to my house where I dreamed and played out my stories. I could make that mile last a long-long time. I was good at telling time from looking at the position of the sun and suprised myself frequently by how close my guesstiment would be.--In those days, watches were expensive and were never given to children. My mother was involved with my younger brothers and sisters and trying to keep us all fed, clothed and sheltered so I remember being very independent. I don't remember any structure or chores, so for the most part I wandered at will and I still prefer to be alone and to read and dream. as an adult, I struggle to turn all my imaginative plans into accomplished deeds but rarely follow through to the end--I often am paralized by having demands put on me, even if they are my own demands.
