Inappropriate laughter

Sometimes old memories just flash in my mind.  Nothing in particular seems to trigger them, they just appear. 

Tonight one popped in my head and I had a little chuckle to myself.  I am going to record it here in case I forget about it again.

When I was about 9, we moved to a new house in Golden Grove. It was a newly developed area and there were lots of families around. Not too long after we moved in, our neighbors moved out and a new family moved in.  I spotted a girl about the same age as me. Sensing a possibility for friendship, purely based on the fact she was a girl around my own age, I devised a plan. It was nothing short of genius.

Are you ready for it?

 When I saw her outside next, I too would go outside. My plan didn't go as far as to actually SAY anything, I would just be out there....too.

As luck would have it, it didn't take long for me to spot her out there on her bike. Wanting to take advantage of the opportunity, I grabbed my own bike and headed out to my driveway. 

And we rode.  Her around her driveway and me around mine. There was no contact but we were both riding.  The plan was working perfectly you could say.   

Eventually we asked each other's name.  My new neighbor was Kimberly. I told her my name. The next day I found an eraser in my letter box and a note addressed to "Dianne" from "Kimberly".  Ah, a gift just for me from my new friend (well, for Dianne but I could look past that where gifts were concerned).

A few months down the track and I had a new best friend. We went to the same school and hung our everyday after school. 

A little while down the track, the people across the street moved out and a new family moved in.  They had 3 children; 2 girls around my age and a son.  The son unfortunately had a disability which prevented him from being able to walk or talk so we never saw much if him. As time went on we would sometimes see the mother carrying her son to the car.  She was such a small lady that this was a feat in itself as he wasn't a young boy.

Kimberly and I didn't really 'click' with these girls and I remember on one occasion we got in an argument with them which resulted in Kimberly, myself, and some of my siblings throwing rubbish from the wheelie bin at them as they threw rubbish right back.

One day, not long after this new family had moved it, my Mum mentioned to the neighbor that the poor woman across the road had injured her back. She had been carrying her son to the car and slipped and fallen flat on her back unable to move.  Her son lay on the ground next to her, unhurt, but unable to move or call for help. 

Now I know what a horrible situation this is and in no way mean to make light of it, but I can't help but have a quiet chuckle when I think of our neighbors response. She said;

"Oh dear! I feel awful! I came outside the other day and I saw that poor woman and her son lying on their driveway. I didn't know he had a disability and I thought they were out there sun baking.  I thought it was a bit different but I just gave a neighborly wave and went inside and left them to their sun baking."

Memory stamps

In grade 2, there was a little boy named Suchart in my class.  I don't remember his last name. I don't know who his best friend was in the class. In fact I can't remember a single thing about him...apart from that one day he decided to punch me in the arm to give me a dead arm. I did not like Suchart much.  Saying his name leaves a bad taste in my mouth to this day. 

That same year my teacher was a curly haired woman names Miss Leroca.  I don't know her first name. What I do know is she made me feel cared about. She taught us Italian and at the end of each day, she would say goodbye to each of us individually by either giving us a hug or a special handshake. 

I only knew both of these people for a year and never had any contact with them since, yet they have both carved a place in my memory. The only difference is one I remember fondly and the other.....not so much.

In grade 5 there was a boy named Fabian Shields. He 'flashed' my friend and I in the gymnasium. 

I can recall my class ratbags by full name.  In year 6 it was Jason Anderson. In year 7 it was Matt Reid (to name a few). We had a really nice teacher in year 7 named Mrs Roberts. I accidentally called her 'Mum' once. She was wearing a beige skirt one day and it must have been 'that time if the month' for her. She got up to write on the board and Matt decided to play innocent and embarrass her by loudly announcing that she must have sat in tomato sauce somehow. He laughed and cheered as she ran out the room and came back an hour later in a different outfit.

I didn't have all that much to do with these kids, but they were certainly difficult to like.

I had known Anthony less that a few months before I was pretty certain I wanted him around for good.  He made me happy. I liked the way I felt about myself when I was with him. Actually he made an impact on me even earlier....how could he not when he picked me up for our first real date in a Milo promotional van!

Both our sons made their impact on me the minute I laid my pethadine laced eyes on them. My mind was all foggy from the general anesthesia, but I knew I loved them like crazy and I wanted to spend my life making sure they knew it. 

 My memories of people are usually attached to some sort of memory, either positive or negative. I guess we don't need to be in someone's life for long to make some sort of lasting impact.  Or more importantly, we need not be in someone's life long to make an impact for good.

The homebody strikes again

I often refer to myself as a homebody. I mean it quite literally, my body is often at home. This is in part because I like it that way, but a large part is out of necessity to give my body the rest it needs. 

I have always been somewhat of a home body though. I don't have a great amount of "get-up-and-go" when it comes to getting out and about. 

I am grateful that I was made with this innate happiness to be home. It makes the cards I have been dealt in life that much easier. 

I am grateful for small mercies such as this. I don't actually know if 'mercies' are the right wording, but I am grateful for the personality types and character traits we are born with that are so suited to the challenges we will face in life. 

I am grateful I have never had a great 'travel bug'. I like a holiday as much as the next person, but the desire to jet set around the world has alluded me. I would love to go to the US one day, however the 14 hour flight is impossible unless I could find a way to lie down the entire way. I can't forsee us being able to fork over $6000 each for a first class ticket so I will be happy to keep my feet planted on Aussie ground. I'm not too fussed though, I don't really feel like I am missing out at all.

I also have zero desire to run and be athletic. Anything more than a casual walk is way too jolting for me. I never really did enjoy exercise anyway so being told I couldn't do much physical activity anymore hasn't made any difference to my life. I often used to say that if you see me running....assume someone is chasing me.

I also used to imagine myself with lots of children, however I feel such a sense of purpose in my mothering that I don't feel like I am missing out anymore. My two boys are such unique little spirits who fill our home with joy and personality. I don't get clucky and that in itself is a miracle to me.

They may not be big, but I am grateful for the small mercies that I see as part of my make-up.  Just another reminder that when it comes to our Heavenly Fathers plan, there wasn't much left to coincidence.