I like living a life in awe. I seek out things that will make me stop in my tracks and say, “Whoa! That’s amazing! How wonderful!” Living with my daughter gives me a reason to be in awe; she amazes me daily. And living with her and working with children enables me to live vicariously through their awe.
This past Independence Day, my daughter and I went to watch the town’s fireworks display. There were children sitting two spots over who, you’d guess, had never seen fireworks before. Had I closed my eyes, I’d’ve known everything that was going on, thanks to their commentating. “Wow! Did you see that?! Gold balls! Look at that! Whoa! That’s purple! *Gasp* A heart! Wow!” I got a bigger kick out of listening to their exclaims than seeing the fireworks themselves!
The words awesome and awful create another English language conundrum for me. If something, someplace, or someone is truly awe inspiring, couldn’t you say it’s awful? And if it’s cool, but not the best, then you’d say awesome? And how can the one word, awe, mean to produce feelings of fear and pleasure? I’m guessing something got lost in translation on its way from Greece to the Americas.
Maybe my understanding of things will catch on. In that case, I hope you all live Awe-full lives!
The theme of my blog posts is “finding happiness by wandering back to youth.” I’ve written before that I’m able to re-experience my childhood simply by playing with my child. I love introducing her to games I used to play, places I’ve been, and other activities in which I’ve participated. As a parent I experience déjà vu often; I re-live events, but this time around I get to do so through the spirit of my child, while reawakening my own child-like spirit.
As mentioned in my previous post, my daughter and I just traveled to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for vacation. It was her first time leaving her home country; the first stamp in her passport. I knew the trip would be special, even if we just sat by the pool all day, but I wanted unique, unforgettable adventures for us. I didn’t want to be so busy going out to find food that we wouldn’t have time for fun, so I decided we would stay at an all-inclusive resort. I chose the Hotel Riu Palace Pacifico in the state of Nayarit. Everyone there was so friendly and accommodating. It was clean, and the food and drinks were delicious and plentiful.
The first day we took a taxi to Aquaventuras water park for a Dolphin Encounter. It was a Bucket List item for both of us. We stood side-by-side in the pool, and pet and played with Quintus the dolphin. To be able to enjoy the experience with my daughter, and to know she is just as grateful for the experience as I am, is a dream come true. We paid extra for the professional photos of our encounter, but we were allowed to stay and enjoy the water slides and a free lunch, so it all balanced out.
Bucket List: ✅
Afterwards, we took another cab downtown to the Malecón, a boardwalk with shopping, restaurants, and beautiful sculptures to enjoy. You can shop inside stores, or purchase items from the artists selling at outdoor stands. This is a great way to feel the city.
Sights on the Malecón
The next day we took a cab to meet the owner of Rancho El Charro, who then drove us the rest of the way to her horse ranch. When I traveled to the Dominican Republic back in 1998, my sister booked a horse ride along the beach, and it was such a wonderful experience, that I wanted my daughter to also have the opportunity. She and I rode into the Sierra Madres on a three-hour tour. It was so peaceful and beautiful, and she loved it.
If there’s a different mode of travel available to see the sights, take it!
Our last full day was to be spent relaxing by the pool and taking a dip in the Pacific. She had seen other girls getting their hair braided on the beach and asked if she could get her hair done. In the DR, I also got my hair braided, and loved it, so I just couldn’t say no. Afterwards, she met up with another 9-year old girl who was staying at the resort. They met the day we arrived and became fast friends. I had purchased a waterproof case for my phone, so they wanted to take some underwater photos in the pool. One photo had an uncanny resemblance to one of me taken over 20 years ago…
Double Take!
We left the next morning, but my daughter was desperate to say goodbye to her new friend. I couldn’t help but be reminded of the last time I saw my friend, Vanessa, back in first grade. My mom helped me to search high and low for her at the airport, with the hunt ending in a ladies restroom with a hug and a fracture in my heart. This is when it hurts to know how much my daughter is like me: we both love easily, making goodbyes that much harder. I stood by watching them hug goodbye, neither wanting to be the first to let go. She cried as I walked her to our taxi under my arm.
Fast Friends
Sometimes it’s heartwarming, and sometimes it creates heartache… seeing my reflection in the life of my child. I may have been where she is before, but together our feelings create a harmony, making a richer and brighter cover of an old song. Even the sad times are worth experiencing again, because it reminds me of my own wealth of emotions and ability to feel deeply and completely. If not for the capability to empathize, how else could I really share these experiences with my daughter?
Happy or sad, my memories make me who I am. And sometimes I like to be reminded of who that person truly is. This is why I make time to rendezvous with déjà vu.
For Christmas this year Santa gave me a record player. It’s something I had wanted for a long time, but always thought too frivolous to have, especially because I would then need to buy records. In case you didn’t know, a record collection ain’t cheap. Even so, the older I get, the less I worry about what’s frivolous, because it’s those frivolities that lessen the effects of my bigger worries.
Part of the fun of having a record player and not wanting to spend too much money is that I really have to think about music I love, artists and albums I love, and music that is timeless and great for many occasions. With the record player, Santa gave me two Christmas albums: A Charlie Brown Christmas by the Vince Guaraldi Trio and Have Yourself a Swingin’ Little Christmas by Various Jazz and R&B artists. The next album was easy to pick: The Beatles’ White Album. But then I got stuck. There is a LOT of music out there!
Then, this past weekend, I was watching Sunday Today with Willie Geist, and one segment was about how record collecting has spiked during the pandemic. What a cowinky-dink! Following that bit came a segment called “A Life Well Lived.” This week’s was about Lou Ottens, the inventor of the cassette tape. Watching these two stories helped me decide on my next disc of vinyl.
Cassettes actually hold a special place in my heart. My sister and I used to make so many mix tapes. We became masters of the art of perfectly timing when to push which buttons in order to get the song we wanted off the radio broadcast without getting the voice of the DJ. Then we got a dual cassette player, then a cd and cassette player. Those really changed the game!
But I can’t buy my old mix tapes on vinyl. So I thought about what cassette albums I used to own. My first, and one of my favorites, was an album by The Drifters. I would listen to that album over and over again, and sing all of the words by heart, which is funny to me because I was a child of the 80s, but I preferred the music of the 50s, 60s, and 70s. So, I just added The Drifters’ Greatest Hits to my budding collection.
I’m sure everyone has their own reason for starting a record collection, but I think the renewed popularity this past year, during a pandemic, has something to do with people trying to think of better times, and the magic of music can transport us to those places with just a measure of notes. Thinking back to my childhood, to the special times in my life, will spark my memory of what was playing in the background. And so it’s not just a record collection, but a collective record of my life’s happy moments.
Juvenescent Junkets 