As you get older in life, time becomes relative. In my youth it felt like the summer would last forever and I would count down to the beginning of school. Most kids will claim the exact opposite, not me though. Money was tight for us then, but I only know that NOW. There weren’t that many activities outside of the house that I was allowed to do. Those were the days where you had to be super creative to not be bored. Back then there wasn’t the technology of today. If it weren’t for the good ole’ Bridgeport Public Library, two blocks from my house, I am sure I would have lost my mind. The summer would crawl but then the next thing I would know, it was August again. The sales would be arriving in the newspaper. Signs would be hung up at the Hi-Ho Mall (no longer there) and I knew that I would be getting something new for school. It was my Christmas in August. I’m not sure if you’ll remember the fun things I am about to list, I may be dating myself here ( :-O if you turn your head sideways to the left, that is my gasping face.) These are the top three things I looked forward to picking out for the new school year.
- NEW sneakers. Now I know that there were a ton of brands at Sears but the ones that were in budget were these bad boys, L.A. Gears….I remember trying to ask for the ones that had the light up bottom, but I got SHUT down.
- A NEW book bag. For whatever reason, I never liked getting a character type book bag, or maybe that is how I remember it. I always had a simple, solid color, bag. There might have been an incident where I pleaded for one, maybe Strawberry Shortcake or She-ra, and didn’t get it. I might have been so traumatized by the NO, that I have created the memory where I only think I wanted solid colored book bags. I’m not sure, just saying its possible.
- A NEW coat. I recall this memory vividly. My mom and I were standing in Burlington Coat Factory, all their coats were on the lower level, I wanted this beautiful brown satiny like jacket, with this tribal print along the collar in black and white velvet, and along the edge of the collar hung white stringy fur. It was expensive. My mom wanted me to try on other coats but I ONLY wanted that one. I thought, HOW COOL WILL I BE AT SCHOOL IN THIS COAT. She bought it for me. Even though IT WAS expensive. When school started, and it was time to wear our new coats, everyone was wearing sports jackets, with basketball or football teams. WHAT?! I hated my coat then and pleaded with my mom for a new one. If I could go back in time I would slap myself. However, I have to remember that I was a kid, a HUGE nerd, who just wanted to fit in with the rest of the kids. I wanted to belong, but never felt I had anything to connect to them.
Its funny, now everything seems a blur. Time seems to go by so fast now. You blink and its the next season. I think back on elementary school now and no matter what NEW thing I got, it still didn’t give me that connection I thought I’d get from it. It was never THE name brand that was popular at the time. Remember the important things in life are not material things!
What I was shocked to learn was that kids, sometimes, are not so horrible. There are kids who will pick on you because you’re clothes are not a label. There are kids that will make stupid comments to you just to see if they can get under your skin. BUT there are kids who will stick up for you, who will get in between you and the idiot kids, who will protect you and who will be your friend regardless of what you’re wearing or what you do not have. Those are the friends I keep today, those same kids from elementary school. Their qualities were a must have, of the people I looked for later on in life, to give the honored title, Friend. I wouldn’t trade that for all the Fila sneakers and She-ra book bags in the world.
What are some of the important things in life you’ve learned along the way?
25 replies on “Remember the Important Things in Life”
This was such a fun post for me. I just went through the whole back to school thing as a mother and it is very different from going through it as a child. I just looked at all the things we had to buy for the kids and how hard we worked to earn the money to pay for them. I hope they had the surprise present feeling you talked about.
I can remember those days of school shopping as a child, some shopping trips stand out more than others as you see above. I also got a taste of the other side of that when I took my niece school shopping for clothes and I want to suggest to kohls that their dressing rooms should have lounge couches and a wine bar! I had to tap into my youthful memories to avoid throwing a tantrum in the store about us being there so long LOL But we got some steals and she walked away with more than two weeks worth of clothes and that made me happy! I saved my baby some money and she got exactly what she wanted. I’m sure your kids did feel that surprise feeling they get at Chrsitmas time but in August! Thanks for stopping by darlin’!
This was such a fun post for me. I just went through the whole back to school thing as a mother and it is very different from going through it as a child. I just looked at all the things we had to buy for the kids and how hard we worked to earn the money to pay for them. I hope they had the surprise present feeling you talked about.
I can remember those days of school shopping as a child, some shopping trips stand out more than others as you see above. I also got a taste of the other side of that when I took my niece school shopping for clothes and I want to suggest to kohls that their dressing rooms should have lounge couches and a wine bar! I had to tap into my youthful memories to avoid throwing a tantrum in the store about us being there so long LOL But we got some steals and she walked away with more than two weeks worth of clothes and that made me happy! I saved my baby some money and she got exactly what she wanted. I’m sure your kids did feel that surprise feeling they get at Chrsitmas time but in August! Thanks for stopping by darlin’!
Oh wow you brought back some memories–I think every girl in town wanted some L.A. Gears! LOL This is a great post and what I have learned along the way most importantly is: 1) think long-term instead of just ‘in the now’–and that especially goes for style fads and trends. Just because it’s ‘in’ now doesn’t mean it will be the following year, so I’ve learned to choose wisely. Another thing is that the people you grow up with in grade/high school, you may not even know them 5-10m years after, so they’re opinions of you really don’t matter–what matters most is your opinion of yourself. These are things that I always tell my children even today. Great read! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Amen! I think in elementary school that was something I had trouble with. Part of the reason being I went off to another school in 4th grade and didn’t know anyone there. In high school I changed that mentality though, if you didn’t like me that wasn’t my business and didn’t care. I had no issues then or in college. And that is exactly how I shop, Will I still like this in five years…if not then I don’t buy it, some trends are not for me….point me out to the classics with a splash of now and i’m all set 🙂 Thanks for sharing with us!
Amen! I think in elementary school that was something I had trouble with. Part of the reason being I went off to another school in 4th grade and didn’t know anyone there. In high school I changed that mentality though, if you didn’t like me that wasn’t my business and didn’t care. I had no issues then or in college. And that is exactly how I shop, Will I still like this in five years…if not then I don’t buy it, some trends are not for me….point me out to the classics with a splash of now and i’m all set 🙂 Thanks for sharing with us!
Hi Arelis,
I’m pretty sure this is my first time visiting here, but I am surely delighted that we’re getting further connected and acquainted throughout cyberspace. This was a great trip down memory lane too. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I have learned many things since the “strikingly similar to yours” days I had in school. I’ve learned that knowing myself completely will protect me from trying to fit in; those who accept me for me, will do so when I’m comfortable being me. Those who won’t, probably had no intentions to do so anyway. I’ve learned that life is bigger than what name brand I wear, what I own, or how much of it I own – most of the “stuff” we accumulate in our lives we out grow or it gets lost along the way, anyhow. I’ve come to learn to always be willing to learn, because that’s what life is all about, a big classroom with lessons and test. As we grow older, we learn to look at life differently, people wisely, and things (stuff) sparingly. 🙂
Beautiful read. Thanks for sharing apart of yourself with us. Blessings.
Hey Deone,
Thanks so much for stopping by, apparently our journey in cyberspace has just begun! Yes this was definitely a fun post down memory lane, I miss the simple days of our youth when I was not concerned with how much something cost, I just wanted it. Life like that hasn’t changed much except for the fact if I do buy something now its to make me happy and not to get someone else’s approval. I still have not purchased a pair of fila OR bought a themed style back pack even when I did have the money to do so. You are dead on with “life is…a big classroom with lessons and tests, but the lessons later on in life are from hard tests sometimes. Faith will always get us through though, God always has a plan and He’s always on time with executing it even if we don’t see it at first. Again thank you for stopping by, may this be the first trip of many. Blessings unto you to!
Hi Arelis,
I’m pretty sure this is my first time visiting here, but I am surely delighted that we’re getting further connected and acquainted throughout cyberspace. This was a great trip down memory lane too. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I have learned many things since the “strikingly similar to yours” days I had in school. I’ve learned that knowing myself completely will protect me from trying to fit in; those who accept me for me, will do so when I’m comfortable being me. Those who won’t, probably had no intentions to do so anyway. I’ve learned that life is bigger than what name brand I wear, what I own, or how much of it I own – most of the “stuff” we accumulate in our lives we out grow or it gets lost along the way, anyhow. I’ve come to learn to always be willing to learn, because that’s what life is all about, a big classroom with lessons and test. As we grow older, we learn to look at life differently, people wisely, and things (stuff) sparingly. 🙂
Beautiful read. Thanks for sharing apart of yourself with us. Blessings.
Hey Deone,
Thanks so much for stopping by, apparently our journey in cyberspace has just begun! Yes this was definitely a fun post down memory lane, I miss the simple days of our youth when I was not concerned with how much something cost, I just wanted it. Life like that hasn’t changed much except for the fact if I do buy something now its to make me happy and not to get someone else’s approval. I still have not purchased a pair of fila OR bought a themed style back pack even when I did have the money to do so. You are dead on with “life is…a big classroom with lessons and tests, but the lessons later on in life are from hard tests sometimes. Faith will always get us through though, God always has a plan and He’s always on time with executing it even if we don’t see it at first. Again thank you for stopping by, may this be the first trip of many. Blessings unto you to!
Ohh, those back to school days! I loved shopping for a new backpack and that new first day of school outfit. Funny, I can’t remember what most of those look like now, but I do remember the great times I had shopping with my grandma to pick them out…fantastic memories!
Man Jess you just made me have another flash back of the first day of school for high school. The night before I best friend had braided my hair in a ton of box braids….i thought i was super cute in them, until it was time to take them out…I think I lost so much hair doing that, never again…but I did look cute though 🙂 It is a pleasure seeing you here Jess, I also look forward to our journey together!
Man Jess you just made me have another flash back of the first day of school for high school. The night before I best friend had braided my hair in a ton of box braids….i thought i was super cute in them, until it was time to take them out…I think I lost so much hair doing that, never again…but I did look cute though 🙂 It is a pleasure seeing you here Jess, I also look forward to our journey together!
This was so much fun to read!! LA GEARS! YES! I rocked my pink and white ones so hard. The first day of school outfit was everything!! Backpack shopping was so much fun and notebooks were fun to get too. I loved the brand spanking newness of everything.
So true about the friendships, it was good to know you had friends regardless of what you wore!! Thanks for the throwback!!
helllllo Nellie, I am happy to know that other people remember LA Gears! Yes! the first day of school outfit had to be just right! Ahhh The stress of the first day but the newness of everything trumped it all! Thanks so much for sharing this moment with us!
This was so much fun to read!! LA GEARS! YES! I rocked my pink and white ones so hard. The first day of school outfit was everything!! Backpack shopping was so much fun and notebooks were fun to get too. I loved the brand spanking newness of everything.
So true about the friendships, it was good to know you had friends regardless of what you wore!! Thanks for the throwback!!
helllllo Nellie, I am happy to know that other people remember LA Gears! Yes! the first day of school outfit had to be just right! Ahhh The stress of the first day but the newness of everything trumped it all! Thanks so much for sharing this moment with us!
Very fun post. My son is not really excited about back to school shopping. He only had a few must haves and that was it. Thank goodness! My nephew is a clothes hog and he wants all designers!
Everyone is different, you lucked out there with your son, I’ll take a short list of must haves any day, that’s a blessing in disguise! Thanks so much for sharing this journey with us!
Everyone is different, you lucked out there with your son, I’ll take a short list of must haves any day, that’s a blessing in disguise! Thanks so much for sharing this journey with us!
this post brings back memories … back to school shopping for backpacks (ll bean!) was my favorite 🙂
Yes it does bring back memories! Thanks for reminiscing with us!
Oh, the LA Gears…I wanted some SO. BAD. I ended up getting some, and they even had THREE PAIRS OF LACES because I was extra cool like that. They were totally on my back-to-school list, too.
Wow, 3 pairs of laces, that makes me think of these hair clips that I used to wear, they had bright neon color laces tied into it :/ Thanks for reminiscing with me Carrie!