Stuff I miss
Now, I’m one of those people who thinks back fondly on childhood, but not because I lament having a mortgage and life is so much more difficult, bla bla bla. I like being a grown-up, but there are definitely some things I miss about being a kid.
I Miss Candy!
When I was younger (let’s be honest–all the way into and including all of my high school years), I really looked forward to celebrating Halloween by trick-or-treating. Being a huge fan of candy, I’d put on my cat costume year after year, grab a pillow case, and have at it. I mean–free candy for the asking?? I was all about that. But bless my soul if Halloween didn’t lose most of its luster when I was old enough to drive and stand in the candy aisle with my own money and get as much candy as I wanted. It was like a huge let-down and the mystery was all gone. I still stash random candy all over the house, but it’s just not the same. I guess Christmas and birthdays also were robbed of some of their magic once I was old enough to just buy things I wanted. Oh man, I’m getting depressed!
I Miss TGIF!
Some of my most-cherished memories from childhood involved sitting at home Friday nights anticipating TGIF. You know…the shows that would come on in a two-hour block..and I’d make cookies but eat most of the dough before it reached its actualization as a cookie…Anyway, I loved when Full House, Dinosaurs, Family Matters, Perfect Strangers, etc. were part of the block. Boy Meets World, even. But I don’t know…do they even have good shows like that on anymore?
I Miss Monsoon Season!
Ok so before you think I was always just the candy-lovin’ couch potato I am today, I did appreciate the finer things in life, like storms! I loved the times in late August/early September when the sky would turn purple, the dust would roll in, it would smell like rain, and the lightning would come. I remember sitting on the curb outside our house with my big sister, the two of us just watching the heat lightning as it lit up the purple sky and listening to the thunder. We don’t really have that kind of weather in California and I really miss it. Sidebar: my sister is rad and we used to stay up late and watch tv together. I really miss that, too. 
I Miss Journalling on the Roof!
I’m not sure why my parents let my siblings and I scamper on up to the roof whenever we pleased, but I’m glad they didn’t mind it. I’ve always been a raging introvert who loves to steal away someplace quiet to just be alone and journal and decompress and deal. I mean, I even made a secret compartment in my closet–a cozy, hidden place–where I would just sit and read for hours. The roof was always quiet and I could spy on the comings and goings of the neighbors as an added bonus. Plus, you could watch fireworks from up there. But mostly I just liked being up there to journal.
I Miss Marching Band!
Yes, I am one of those sick people who found great fulfillment and enjoyment in my high school experience. Sorry, you would’ve found out sooner or later. I had some really amazing teachers, some equally amazing friends, and I wouldn’t change a thing about those years. Some of my favorite memories that really stand out involve marching band. I actually got to be a part of a talented group who won all sorts of awards and had tons of fun besides. My best friends were there, I got some great leadership experience, and I doubt I’ll ever feel such a sense of camaraderie and achievement with such a large group of peers ever again. And band camp: SERIOUSLY fun. Even my first year when I thought I was going to get tied to a tree in the night, and stole knives from the cafeteria with which to saw myself free. Oh yes, they didn’t sing “Paranoia” at me for nothing. 
So there you have it. Saturday Candy Day gets an honorable mention, family vacations to Clear Lake (with penny hunts, camping, swimming, family, and blue moon ice cream!) were transcendent and will most certainly end up in a book of mine someday soon, and I wouldn’t be me without my wake of ill-fated, church-related crushes.
Anybody else miss being a kid? Let’s try something: leave me a comment about something you miss from your childhood. Then we’ll all sing Kumbaya. It’ll be fun, I promise!
–Jillangill
September 17th, 2008 at 12:05 am
“Not the mama!” – Dinosaurs… boy do I miss that too. And, I would rave about how I miss marching band… but I’ll refrain.
September 17th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Stuff I Miss:
* Soccer games on Saturday. We may have always lost, but it was always good times
* Free time. Seem to never have enough of it anymore
* Seasons. It was nice having 4 seasons a year, much the nice
* Fast Food. There used to be a time when we never went to fast food except on special occasions. Now that I can go all the time, its lost its appeal and excitement
September 17th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Haha, as much as I loved Dinosaurs, I DIDN’T like being made fun of because my last name was close to the Dinosaurs last name. Theirs was SinClair and mine was (I guess still is..) St.Clair. Got lots of crap for that. Also, I miss playing sports with my friends…good healthy competition is always fun. I miss my tie-dyed “Don’t worry, be happy” shirt with a big yellow smiley face in the middle that i wore out from too much use. I miss when my little brother used to sneak down the hall into my room to cuddle and sleep every other night because he was scared. We were like 7 and 9 and he was always in his cute little Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pajamas. I too miss TGIF. We watched it pretty much every friday night. I miss laying under my Christmas tree at night with my brother where we would lay there for about an hour at a time staring up into the tree with all the twinkly colored lights and the interesting things hanging from the tree and talk. I can still smell the tree. I miss being able to read all day if i wanted without having to delay responsibilities and reading being such a large part of my life that when I got grounded, I was grounded from my books.
…this is a fun game.
September 18th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Hi Jill,
I just wanted to drop by and say hi.
I don’t know if you got my reply back on your xanga or not from the message you left me a few weeks ago. Anyway, I hope you’re doing well.
Oh, and the biggest thing I miss about childhood is having a mom who made dinner for me every night. She was a great cook! I love cooking, but it’s also nice when I don’t have to.