Reminiscing on Good Times

Sweet nostalgia.  Sometimes, I enjoy taking moments of reflection and simmering in nostalgia to reminisce about certain moments from childhood.  I was extremely blessed to have a great childhood, which is what I hope for all children.  However, I understand that not everyone had an amazing childhood and that many of your memories may not be so pleasant.  I do hope however if that is the case, that there have still been some positive moments in your life that you can reflect on that make you smile.

For me, I like to reflect on certain moments, not necessarily to be stuck in the past, but because these moments in time were feel good moments for me, which we all need from time to time.  On TikTok, I stitched a woman’s video where she asked what is something in your childhood that does not exist anymore, and all of these memories came flooding back.  By the way, be sure to follow me on TikTok by clicking here. 

For me, considering I am part of Gen X, there were lots of things that did not exist in my childhood such as the iPod, iPad, electric cars, cell phones, and much more.  In fact, I did not get my first email address until I went to college in the late 1990’s.  I believe the internet came out sometime in the 90’s as well.  I think. 

When I stitched the video, I laughed thinking about certain things from childhood such as cabbage patch dolls.  I remember there being a mad rush for these dolls especially during Christmas in the 1980’s.  Everyone wanted this doll, and even news reports would talk about these dolls being sold out almost everywhere, as they were extremely popular.  I believe they are still around now, although the fanfare surrounding them is not what it was. 

I still have my cabbage patch named Homer, who was given to me by my grandmother.  It was the last gift that I remember receiving from her before she went onto to be with the ancestors, and I will cherish that gift forever.  To me, Homer is more than a doll.  He serves as s great childhood memory for me, especially considering he was given to me by one of my favorite people.

Another thing that I remember from childhood that doe note exists anymore, or at least it is not as common, are phones with the cords attached.  One of the memories that came up was how as a teenager, around the age of twelve or thirteen, my parents allowed me to have a phone in my room.  It was a clear phone, that lit up various colors when it rang.  I remember hanging up on people if they upset me, but prior to hanging up the phone, I would purposely slam it down really hard, as I knew it was super loud in their ear and annoyed them.  I know.  I know.  That was super childish, but again, I was a childish teenager at the time.  I smile at it now, because with cell phones, all you can really do is aggressively hit the end call button.

I also remember how I would run to the cassette player to record my favorite song when it would come on the radio.  I did not like to always purchase the tape or CD (when CD’s came out), since I may have only liked one or two songs from that artist.  In fact, I still have some of those tapes with those recordings, and when I think about them and that time, it makes me happy.

Overall, I just think that it is good and fun to reflect on pleasant memories.  So, what is something that existed in your childhood that no longer exists, or even if it does still exist, it may not be as common as it once was or is rarer than it used to be?  What positive memory does that hold for you?