Month: April 2022

The Ties That Bind

Jeanna GLeave a comment

I went to the Pickle Festival in Mt. Olive, NC today. It was good old-fashioned fun, complete with a car show, funnel cakes, kiddie rides, a petting zoo, live music, and a pickle eating contest. There were tons of people there, which was great to see, and something I haven’t been a part of for a few years.

There were two main strips of vendor tents and food trucks that ran along either side of train tracks. Rather than walking the pace of turtles within the crowds, my friends and I chose to walk down the middle of the tracks. Walking down railroad ties always reminds me of two things: 1) the movie Stand by Me (and if you’ve seen it, you know why), and 2) my dear friend, Lori.

My family members who immigrated to the US settled in Centre County, Pennsylvania. Growing up, we drove out from Connecticut for the family reunion just about every July. We always stayed at Twila’s (my first cousin once removed) duplex. In the home upstairs lived a girl my age who became my pen pal after we met the summer before 5th grade. We kept in touch all year, and then hung out just about the whole time I was in PA, year after year. We always had so much to talk about. So much so, that one day we got to walking and talking, ended up on a train track, and kept going until we finally realized we might have been gone long enough to get in trouble.

I remember we drew train tracks on our letters to each other a few times after that. There’s something so comforting in being able to walk alongside and talk with someone, for however long, about anything. Lori and I took the time to open up to and listen to each other, and it laid the foundation for a lifelong friendship. I was her Maid of Honor, and attended her baby showers. We still send birthday and holiday cards to each other. Our letters have shortened to texts and checking in on social media, but we’re in touch. After 30-something years, it’s safe to say those ties will continue to the horizon. Blest be the ties that bind.

Sticking to the Plan

Jeanna GLeave a comment

Today is the two-year anniversary of my first blog post. I have enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I wrote more frequently when I first started, but that was during quarantine, so I can’t beat myself up too much about having less time to sit and write these days. Actually, I’ve enjoyed this so much, that I wish I could write for a living. But I digress.

On my blogiversary, I think it’s important to reflect and consider if I’ve been sticking to the original plan. In the beginning, I started the blog as a way to earn digital literacy credits to apply to my teaching license. I could have written about anything, but I figured I should write about something that I know a lot about, and could continue to write about in perpetuity. Well, I know a lot about myself. But I don’t think people want to read about me just for the sake of learning about me. So I asked myself how writing about myself could be beneficial to others. And that is when the plan began to take shape.

Not to brag, but I think I had a pretty great childhood. As a teacher (and a kind, idealistic human being), I think every person deserves to have a great childhood. But not everyone does. And that makes me very sad. So I thought, if I could share how I was able to enjoy my childhood, others could use that information to create the childhood they never had. Picture Phoebe on Friends. She did not have a great childhood, so she spent some time trying to experience what she thought she missed out on, like learning to ride a bike, and taking classes. She got these ideas by listening to others share their experiences.

And if readers also had a great childhood, then maybe they could just read my stories to reminisce and stir up happiness. An unexpected benefit of my blog is that writing has helped me to stir up happiness. Spending time thinking about things that made me happy at one point in my life has helped me to remember what I truly love, and who I really am. It’s surprising to find how far off course we can get in a life filled with detours and roadside attractions.

Either way, I think I’ve been sticking to the plan, and I hope it’s helped someone in some way. I don’t write to have a profound impact or to be the end-all solution to disappointing childhoods, but if I can put a smile on a few faces, then I think it’s worth going on Juvenescent Junkets for another year, and beyond.