Days of Innocence

As the days grow shorter and cooler, my mind tends to drift back to the carefree days of early childhood. 

Fall has always been my favorite time of the year… 

First and foremost, my birthday is in October and even almost six decades in, I’m still a huge fan of the day. It’s my day. It belongs to me and no one else, at least in my small world. I get to eat, drink and be merry with my friends and family without feeling guilty about calories or the “To-Do” list that I’m NOT “To-doing” that day. Nothing could be better! 

Call me crazy, but as a kid, I loved going back to school. I knew weeks ahead of time what I would wear the first day back. My Mom and Grandma would take my brother and me clothes shopping. Typically a favorite outfit would emerge from the several that were purchased. Even more exciting than the outfit were the shoes. I LOVED new shoes and would wear them around the house prior to the big day to try and break them in. I remember getting saddle shoes, mary jane's and earth shoes (I know I’m dating myself but google if you don’t know what I’m talking about). It’s funny how blisters wouldn’t begin to form until early afternoon on that first day of school. For the rest of the afternoon, I would count the minutes remaining until I'd be home and could rip them off my feet. 

Back in the olden days, you wouldn’t receive a school supply list before the start of school. Instead, the teachers would give you the list on the first day of school. I couldn’t contain my excitement waiting for our trip to either L.H. Martin (local store) or Woolworth’s to purchase all our supplies that afternoon or evening. There was nothing better than picking out brand new notebooks, book covers, pens, pencils and erasers. It would invariably turn into a social event as the whole community would be making the same trip at the same time. I would run home and write my name on everything and organize them for the next morning. 

Fall weekends would be spent outside in the neighborhood and in the yard.

My brother and I would jump in the piles of leaves that our dad had carefully raked. At first, he would get angry because we were instantly destroying his work, but he would crack a smile and jump in with us or bury us so we could pop out and “scare” him. My mom would call us all for lunch, and we would sit together and eat our bologna sandwiches and potato chips as a family. 

Sunday afternoons and evenings were spent with my maternal grandparents, who lived close by. They would often come over to our house and sit outside in the metal lawn chairs with the green and white weave pattern seats that always frayed. They were a captive audience for whatever “tricks” my brother, and I wanted to perform for them. It ranged from dancing, singing, hopscotch, bike riding and skateboarding (only my brother did that). We would then go inside and have an early dinner together. My grandparents would leave so we would have enough time to bathe before the Ed Sullivan show began...

My brother and I would wedge ourselves in between our parents on their king-size bed, and we would watch the show all together. We would laugh and chat about the performances. My brother and I would get bored when there was an opera singer or pianist on, but luckily each act didn’t perform too long. 

I hated when we were told it was time for bed. I would beg to stay up for five minutes more and sometimes my request would be granted and others not. I never wanted to leave the comfy bed, I never wanted to leave the safety, security and love of having my family right next to me. I never wanted those moments to end. 

Those moments when you felt loved and protected from harm.

Those moments when all you had to worry about was schoolwork and friends. Those moments when your parents and grandparents were invincible, and you believed they would live forever. 

Those moments led to days of innocence.

What are your favorite memories as a child? 

Until next time, let's be sure to connect over on Instagram (click here)
Debbie