My in-laws were in for a visit, and with them they brought my nephew and niece. My nephew, Rowan, is 4 years old now. Ages can be judged by toys, and Rowan is definitely at "beginner Lego" status. I'm always happy to oblige, as just the simplest creation I create just blows his mind. It's really a fun and fascinating age.
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My father had died, and it was determined (correctly) by my mother that her lake house was too much to manage. Obviously an event as this completely shakes the foundation of any family, and my mother was the strongest. She realized that she needed to move and took action on it. Unlike many people in her position, she didn't hoard. In fact I think it was somewhat of an emotional release...an ending of a chapter for her to get rid of certain items. I wasn't and still am not ready for the end of some of those chapters. Dad's clothes left, other seemingly trivial items came and went...I was falling apart at the seams but I had to support my mother. I know it to not be true at this date, but at the time she seemed so empowered and in control...I absolutely had to support most of it.
But don't fuck with my LEGO's.
Years pile up, but some memories remain fresh. At this point, I can't tell you how old I was. I'd estimate 6 years old, just to put a finger on a range. I know we were living in What Cheer at the time, so I know I could't have been any older than 2nd grade. ANYWAY, as you can imagine, Christmas was nothing short of magical back then. Whether we did or not believe in Santa (I remember being a skeptic at a very young age), it didn't matter. The joy of presents and seeing my beloved extended family were enough for me to be jumping out of my fucking skin.
I don't remember many of the presents, but we got some sort of Kinnects set. I have no idea if that's the spelling, but it was basically generic Lego blocks that didn't go together. We didn't live in poverty, but from my understanding back then we were living paycheck to paycheck. Even at a young age, I think I had some sort of way recognizing that. Maybe not...I don't know. I just remember getting these generic Lego looking blocks, and then trying to put them together. These blocks were so damn cheap you couldn't put a 2x4 piece together with another 2x4 piece. But I remember trying to hide it a bit because I didn't want my dad to feel bad.
It didn't work.
I'll never forget my Dad's tempermant. He apologized over and over about the shoddy work. "Sorry, we will go get Lego's tomorrow". I felt bad for how bad he apparently felt. He looked so disappointed. But sure enough, he returned the next day with a fucking BRIEFCASE of Legos. This wasn't the metropolis of Oskalooa...you didn't just go "out" and buy Legos. It was a goddamn *journey*. Nonetheless, he returned with Legos and I was amazed. Mezmorized. SO MANY FUCKING LEGOS!!!
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This entire scenerio...memory, was completely relived by me. All it took was a prolonged look at my Lego case.
I leaned over and kissed the case. I really didn't know why but then realized it was what I had done approximately 29 years earlier when receiving it. Through my lips and to my brain this entire previous scene played out as if it were another person's life, almost like a play. It was all so damn beautiful I knew right then and there I had to put it in print otherwise it could be lost forever. Memories are such a precious thing.
Thank you for letting me take some of your time, and Happy Thanksgiving. :)
