Month: February 2022

Taking a Stroll Down Retail Lane

Jeanna GLeave a comment

I went to the mall today. I think that was the first time in over three years! I was very curious to know what state the mall would be in post-Covid. I was pleasantly surprised to see that there were a good amount of people walking around, and most were wearing masks. The whole mall smelled of popcorn. All the stores I remembered being there were still open for business, plus a few new ones. It was clean and bright. Kids were riding the electronic ponies and begging their parents for a quarter to get a gumball out of the machine. All of the store clerks were genuinely friendly and willing to help. I really enjoyed the whole experience, to the point that I think I should go more often, and take my daughter with me. I know, I know… Why would I think of taking my daughter, knowing full well that she can find something in every store that she wants? Because it’s something to do that’s somewhat entertaining (and I know how to say NO).

When I was in 5th grade, I went to the mall almost every Friday night. I either went with my friend, Carrie, or my friend, Diana, and then I would sleep over at their respective homes afterwards. We would buy the five foot long strings of red licorice from the candy kiosk and have competitions to see who could eat theirs first without using their hands. We would walk the whole mall and go into all of our favorite stores: Gap, 5-7-9, Deb, Contempo Casuals, Record Town, B. Moss, Waldenbooks, Bob Stores, Suncoast Motion Picture Company, Baubles, Bangles ‘N’ Beads, Bradlees, Rave, and KayBee Toy & Hobby.

I didn’t have a lot of spending money, just whatever allowance I earned from doing chores, so I didn’t get something every week. In a way, lack of funds made the trips to the mall better, because I could make a mental list of what I really wanted, and if, when I went back, I still wanted it, it was still there, and I finally had enough money to buy it, then it was so much more rewarding to make the purchase. Score! Even if I couldn’t buy everything I wanted, I still found it fun to just walk around and look at all the stuff (in 3-D!) that people came up with to sell, and to know what was popular.

I admit I’ve given in to the convenience of online shopping, but I’ve made a promise to myself to only buy shoes and clothes in-store from now on. And I’m going to start walking the mall with my daughter a couple times a year. I don’t want malls to disappear, so if I can help just a little, then I will.

Young Love Haikus

Jeanna GLeave a comment 
Kissing in a tree
K I S S I N G
Will we slip and fall?
Holding hands on skates
I wish there was one more song
Stairway to Heaven
Passing notes in class
Secrets whispered on paper
Hope we don’t get caught
Rode my bike to you
Friends took a hint and got lost
Now what do we do?
Doodle hearts all day
Practice signing new last name
Daydream believer
What’s he thinking now?
Should I ask, or should I know?
Loves me. Loves me not?
Paper Valentines
Heart shaped boxes of chocolates
Love is in the air
Hold hands at recess
Pluck a buttercup for you
Love was so simple
Heart shaped pizza lunch
Roses snuck into locker
Cupid delivers
Palms sweat Blurred vision
Breath check Suddenly clumsy 
Sweethearts share first kiss
Hang out do nothing
Call and talk about nothing
Nothing is so much
Date night with my crush
Stargazing on a blanket
Hope it never ends

Groundhog Day

Jeanna GLeave a comment

Have you ever experienced déjà vu? It’s the sense that you’ve experienced something that you haven’t actually experienced before. But maybe the universe is trying to tell you something. Maybe you did experience it, but you did it wrong the first time, and you’re being given a second chance. What was so important about that moment that you’re being made to live it again? What is the impact you’re supposed to make? What should you have done differently the first time around?

Back in college, my buddies and I drove from Penn State to Punxsutawney to witness the strangely fascinating celebration of seeking the meteorological predictions of a groundhog. I was telling my daughter about that trip. and then suggested we watch the movie together. Afterwards, I asked what she would do if she got to live the same day over and over again, and she answered like a normal 10 year old: eat a ton of candy, act crazy, get away with stuff. I, on the other hand, would hopefully take the route that Phil eventually took and become a better person.

Maybe we’re stuck in the same place until we make it better. Maybe we keep running into the same people because we’re supposed to help improve their lives. Maybe we’re not supposed to keep moving on so that we can actually live in the moment. Maybe we get stuck because we keep missing the point.

The days don’t actually repeat themselves like they did for Phil, but sometimes they sure feel like they do, except we continue to get older, and the calendar pages continue to turn. We can reminisce about our younger days, like I obviously like to do, but we can’t actually relive our youth. But let’s just say you woke up and time was repeating itself. Would you know why? Would you know what you had to fix, or who you needed to help in order to move on? And what if you got to pick which day you could live over and over again? What has been your best day? And is that the best you can do? Maybe we all need to be a groundhog for a day and ask ourselves, “When I get pulled into the light, will I be afraid of my own shadow?”