Our Creative Fiction Workshop had an assignment to list three favorite toys as a child. We were then to try remembering a toy we wanted but never had. I must admit, at first glance, I thought this exercise was rather simplistic. But, like a toy, a simple thing can keep us occupied for hours...in this case, days and I suspect weeks or months. Simple? Not hardly.
We grew up on a vegetable farm in Western New York. I don't know for sure, but I can guess that Dad made about 75 cents an hour. Life on the farm was hard for him...for all of us, only we didn't know it. Life was what it was. We were warm, had enough to eat, Mom made our clothes, and we had toys. Mom and Dad went without toys so we could have toys. Looking back, I can plainly see how much those toys influenced all of our lives.
I won't reveal any more for now, except that the opportunity given from a simple exercise, to think about a simple thing, has exploded into a labyrinth of memories from simpler times. Exploring those memories have smashed the glass from the third window, and have allowed me to escape through that fourth window, into the fourth dimension, the dimension of memory, to journey through this place, and become more enlightened about how the web of neural highways have become my today.
Not only is this beautifully written, but I admire the amount of honesty you poured into it. I can absolutely relate in regards to the little bit of money, the sacrifices our parents made - I'll never forget the callouses and blisters on my dads fingers as he handed me my $5 allowance (we got half our age when most kids got double, and we only got ours once a month instead of once a week). It made me appreciate everything so much more. I agreed that the assignment in class seemed a bit overly simplistic at first, but boy did it make me think, seemed to have the same effect on you. I loved your stories in class, by the way. I wish I had a go kart ;-)
ReplyDeleteIt was cool how you tied this post into the main theme of your blog, with the whole fourth window experience. I look forward to more posts exploring this "fourth window."
ReplyDeleteOh also I love the title. Toys R Us! Pefect.
ReplyDeleteYes. I think that exercise really hit on anyone who has experienced poverty as a child. That sense of longing. I'll be curious to see if you build anything larger from it...
ReplyDeleteYeah, I felt that exercise made me realize how much I used to depend on toys as a means of passing the time when my working parents weren't there.
ReplyDeletewhat a great line "life on the farm was hard for him, for all of us...only we didn't know it" ignorance is bliss. sometimes when your exposed to the whole real world, it ruins it for you. You see all of these life styles and "stuff" out there and you just begin to think of everything you never had. But before that knowledge you had everything already. This post really opened up a memory door for me.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree, except I LIVE for nostalgia. I feel as a child of the 80's I had it better than anyone! So many cool things, and I always remember the packaging for some reason.lol
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