Memories of Things Past

I did a little Black Friday shopping, and was reminded of Black Fridays in years past, when I was the passenger, not the driver, when I simply followed the schedule, rather than making it.

I enjoyed a day of Thanksgiving leftovers, and was reminded of the Thanksgiving weekend not that many years ago, when what I thought was leftover indigestion turned into gall bladder surgery.

I taught my children the card game Casino, and was reminded of learning it from and playing it for hours with my grandmother.

I read holiday sale emails, not job search ones, and was reminded of the last few years of Thanksgivings, when I could never quite settle in to a holiday, because I could never quite know what would happen after it.

I peeled snowy clothes off my kids and put them (the clothes, not the kids) right into the dryer, and was reminded of smaller children and smaller snow clothes, and of the plastic bag shoe and hand protection of my own childhood, when the rarity of snow made it silly to own extensive snow gear.

I bought a bag of fancy chocolates that were certainly a want, not need, item, and was reminded of days when want, not need was limited to things no more than a dollar.

I laughed with relatives, and was reminded of some years when there were more relatives to laugh with, and others when there wasn't nearly as much laughing.

It's funny how moving forward can take us so far back, and how enjoying "now" can also remind us of so much "then." Every day we're creating new moments, but if we're lucky, some of those new moments can re-open memories of things past as well.