Cool, crisp air
So long, dog days
County Fair
Get lost in the corn maze
Harvest Moon
Spots apples, pumpkins
Hunter’s Moon
Tracks spooky costumes
Sugar and spice
Tricks and treats
Walks with Grandma
Leaves crunch under our feet
Hayrides, hikes
Colorful sights
Toilet-papered trees
Signal Cabbage Night
Leaves fall like confetti
Catch one for good luck
Daylight Savings
Turn back the clock
Homecoming Parade
Time to gather
Count your blessings
It’s cuddle weather
Time Warp
I traveled back to my childhood hometown last month. My brother rolled his eyes at me every time I pointed out things that were still the same. “Yeah, nothing ever changes around here,” he said. Visiting home was like entering a time warp; time seemed to have been suspended. Some people might think that’s strange, considering how much changes on a daily basis in our fast-paced world. And some people might even be disappointed by the lack of change. I, however, find comfort in the fact that things haven’t changed much at all in the 25 years I’ve been gone. The library, grocery and hardware stores, park, church, and bagel shop, streets, landscapes, homes, and apple orchard…all still the same.
I consider my childhood home to be a large part of my foundation. So if it were to describe me, what would it say? That I’m steadfast and reliable? Old-fashioned? Maybe I’m just stubborn. Either way, in a world that oftentimes feels unpredictable and restless, surrounding myself with the familiar can be a remedy.
Field Trips
I’m a ‘Been There, Done That” kind of gal, so I’m usually looking for new things to do, or ways to make old things new. However, I make exceptions when it comes to sharing previous experiences with my daughter. There are so many things I’ve done that I think my daughter would also enjoy, so I make it a point to recreate some of my childhood experiences for her.
I had such an opportunity this past weekend while she and I were back in Connecticut visiting family. We arrived on a weekday, so while my relatives were working and in school, I decided to take my daughter on one of my childhood field trips. I was about her age when my class took a field trip to Mystic Aquarium. She and I love sea animals, so I knew she’d be game. Sure enough, she had a ball running alongside the beluga whales, clapping along with the sea lions, and petting the stingrays. Afterwards, we went to Mystic Pizza where I could reminisce more from my childhood. Then we shopped around and got some ice cream, because that’s just what you do in a town like Mystic.
Field trips from childhood are definitely worth repeating with your own children, especially if you no longer live in the town where you grew up. It’s fun to go back and take in what has changed and what has withstood the test of time. After so many years, an old experience was practically new, and just as fun. Next time I will stay longer so that she and I can take field trips to the Mark Twain House and Sturbridge Village.
What were your childhood field trips?
Juvenescent Junkets 