A friend posted a challenge on Facebook to share how old you are, without using any numbers. I love taking trips down memory lane and letting the images, smells, feelings and sounds wash over me. It’s like pulling out old family albums or yearbooks and falling back through time to a time that feels as recent as yesterday. I let my mind wander back, and here’s a few of the things I could come up with.
I’m Sesame Street and Electric Company years old. I’m all the Fisher Price playsets years old. I’m get the chicken pox with all my cousins and watch The Price is Right and As the World Turns years old. I’m Mercurochrome cures everything years old.
I’m Silly Putty and Sunday comics years old. I’m “Weebles wobble but they don’t fall down” years old. I’m Holly Hobbie and Colorforms years old. I’m watching Little House on the Prairie as a family years old. I’m plastic, colored ribbons and basket on my handlebars and a banana seat on my first bike years old. I’m Janet and Mark readers years old.
I’m we regularly rode in the back of pickups and station wagons years old. I’m pin curls years old. I’m gas had a distinctive leaded smell years old. I’m shag carpet years old. I’m every home had a wok, a crock pot and a fondue pot, and two of those were avocado green (or sunburst yellow-orange or mushroom brown) years old.
I’m cartoons were only on Saturday mornings, and best enjoyed with the sugariest cereals you could find, or puffed wheat or rice (with huge spoonfuls of sugar, mind you) if your mom was going healthy years old. I’m After School Specials, Dialing for Dollars and Creature Features years old. I’m Flintstones chewable vitamins years old. I’m Highlights magazine and home encyclopedia sets years old. I’m Ovaltine, Tang, Hi-C in giant cans and Hawaiian Punch years old.
I’m pegged, acid-washed jeans years old. I’m scrunchies years old. I’m perms were a thing years old. I’m big bangs, feathered hair and banana clips years old. I’m your shorts had to be as long as the tips of your fingers could reach years old. I’m drafting class was for boys and home ec class was for girls years old.
I’m cover all your textbooks with paper bags years old. I’m PeeChee folders and Trapper Keeper years old. I’m someone tried to invent erasable pens years old. I’m Swatch Watch, Esprit and Vanderbilt jeans years old. I’m Valley Girls and preppies years old. I’m MTV years old. I’m Star Skate and Snoopy’s Ice Arena years old. I’m babysit for a dollar an hour years old. I’m Solid Gold years old.
I’m Walkman years old. I’m stay up all night to wait for George Michael to perform on Live Aid so that I could record it on my VHS tape years old. I’m mixtape years old. I’m keyboarding was still called typing years old. I’m card catalogs and microfiche years old. (I’m the definition of microfiche includes the words “in the second half of the last century” years old.)
I’m turn in papers and reports handwritten in cursive years old. I’m Peter Jennings has the most soothing, authoritative voice years old. I’m space shuttles years old. I’m learned to drive on a stick shift years old. I’m Driver’s Ed was a high school class years old. I’m America’s Funniest videos years old.
I’m Sambo’s restaurant years old. I’m El Rancho Tropicana and Los Robles years old. I’m Coddingtown was an open shopping center, and the “new mall” was being built years old. I’m Rosenberg’s and the White House and Emporium years old. I’m Doom Flumes and Marine World years old.
I’m walkathons and yearly peeling sunburns years old. I’m ice cream was Baskin Robbins or Thrifty’s years old. I’m pretty sure Montgomery High School, Santa Rosa High School and Piner High School were the only high schools in Santa Rosa years old.
What do you remember from your childhood? What would tell others how old you are, without using any ages or dates? What stands out in your memories as highlights or touchpoints in your life?
Juliana LeRoy wears many hats, including wife, mother, paraeducator and writer. She can be spotted around Windsor gathering material, or reached at ml****@so***.net.
