Alexandra Bogdanovic's Blog: That's life... - Posts Tagged "nostalgia"

With apologies to Mr. Sinatra, I have had a few regrets and some of them are real doozies.
One mistake, in particular, haunts me as I continue the seemingly endless process of home renovations, redecorating and downsizing. To this day, I still can't believe I allowed my mom to sell all of my old Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not harboring any ideas that they'd be worth a small fortune. It's the sentimental value that makes them priceless. After all, I read my first Hardy Boys mystery when I was in third grade and I still remember the first word that gave me trouble. What on earth is a ho-ax? I remember thinking as I "sounded out" the word.
Undaunted, I amassed quite a collection of the blue and yellow hard-cover books over the next few years.
Eventually, as Mom recalls, we put them in boxes and took them to sell at a church-sponsored tag sale. A little boy ended up buying them, much to my mother's disgust.
He really wanted the books, but he was thoroughly objectionable, Mom recalled. I didn't want him to have the books because I didn't like him. But I finally sold them to him at the end of the day. So I regret selling your Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books, too.
Until next time, "That's life..."

Tuesday's come and gone, and nothing's changed. There are no new awards to add to my resume. My "banner day" ended in disappointment.
It wasn't the first time and it certainly won't be the last. And in any case, it's hardly the end of the world.
I'm already preparing for even bigger and better things. But as I do, I long for the days when life was a little less stressful and a whole lot less complicated.
Judging from a hard copy of an old email sent by a friend, I am not alone. Penned by an unknown author, the message read:

Adult Resignation
I am hereby officially tendering my resignation as an adult.
I have decided I would like to accept the responsibilities of an 8 year old again.
I want to go to McDonald's and think it's a four-star restaurant.
I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and make ripples with rocks.
I want to think M&Ms are better than money because you can eat them.
Run a lemonade stand with my friends on a hot summer's day.
I want to return to a time life was simple. When all you knew were colors, multiplication tables and nursery rhymes, but that didn't bother you because you didn't know what you didn't know and you didn't care.
All you knew was to be happy because you were blissfully unaware of all of the things that should make you worried or upset.
I want to think the world is fair. That everyone is honest and good.
I want to believe that anything is possible.
I want to be oblivious to the complexities of life and be overly excited by the little things again.
I want to live simple (sic) again.
I don't want my day to consist of computer crashes, paperwork, depressing news, how to survive more days in the month than there is money in the bank, doctor bills, gossip, illness and loss of loved ones.
I want to believe in the power of smiles, hugs, a kind word, truth, justice, peace, dreams, the imagination, mankind and making angels in the snow.
So... here's my checkbook and my car keys, my credit card bills and my 401K statements.
I am officially resigning from adulthood.
And if you want to discuss this further, you'll have to catch me first,
'cause, "Tag! you're it."

Until next time, "That's life..."

Not too long ago, I shared one of my biggest regrets with you. If you recall, I bemoaned the loss of my favorite childhood books. More specifically, I bemoaned my decision to let my mother sell my collection of Hardy Boys® and Nancy Drew® mysteries.
Today I am happy to report that I am once again the proud owner of two dozen Nancy Drew® books. I am also happy to say that I got them for free and came by them honestly.
It happened as I was leaving the animal shelter where I volunteer on Tuesday afternoons. In a never-ending quest to find homes for all of the books donated to the organization, the director asked me if I wanted to have a look through the crates in the front room. As I had in the past, I happily said yes. And I was immediately glad that I did.
It took less than a minute to spot the hardcover books with the bright yellow spines, and I couldn't hide my delight when I realized what I'd found. When I explained why I was so excited, the director agreed to let me have the books. As a bonus, she threw in the crate, along with a few Bobbsey Twins® books and one of the Harry Potter® books that were already in it for good measure.
So just why was this acquisition such a big deal? No, it's not that I think the books are worth a great deal; in fact only a few are older editions. But to me they have tremendous nostalgic and sentimental value. I have no doubt that rereading these classics will take me back to my childhood; a time that wasn't perfect, but was pretty damn good.
It was a time when reading offered escape and opened my imagination. It was a time when I smuggled a flashlight under my sheets so I could stay up past my bedtime and read under the covers. It was a time when I spent countless winter days curled up with a good book, and countless summer afternoons reading at the beach.
Of course I didn't know it back then but it was also a time when reading sparked the interests and helped me develop the skills that ultimately made me a successful journalist and an award-winning author.
It was a time I'll cherish forever.
Until next time, "That's life..."