My Barrettes Have Evolved, But My Hair Style Has Not

I used to wear animal barrettes.
They were plastic and had no metal parts or shiny pieces, just plastic. I had all kinds of animals to choose from and they came in a variety of colors. I seem to remember a blue elephant barrette the best.
I used to wear lots of primary colors. No one ever tells a little girl that they don't look good in yellow. Then you grow up and get your make-up done in a department store one day and the girl behind the counter says, "you should never wear yellow, EVER!"
I used to have bangs, overalls and shiny vinyl snow boots that I hated to wear. Sneakers had velcro and were a very big deal.
My lunch box was the best accessory I owned. I had the coolest Snoopy lunch box until it broke one day in the cafeteria. My Mom went out in pursuit of a new one and I had to use brown paper bags in the interim; the opposite cool, especially in first grade. I came home one day and found a shiny, purple STAR TREK lunch box sitting on the table. I asked, "what's this?" My Mom informed me that it was my new lunch box. "That's all they had", she explained. I stood there frozen with my coat and shoes still on, how could I go to school with a large metal box that had Spock on it? My reputation was scarred. I already had issues with my own large ears. I didn't need to be advertising to the school that I was a follower of the King of Large, Odd, Devil-like Ears..like Spock.
I rode a bus to school that had a driver named Wendy. I remember when Wendy broke her arm and I stressed about how she would still be able to operate such a large vehicle....especially in the winter on those snowy Upstate NY roads. You think I'm joking when I say "stressed", but honestly I did. I remember thinking that if all the kids sat on the same side of the bus it would cause an uncontrollable imbalance that combined with the snowy roads and the limited use of Wendy's one arm, would cause the bus to careen off the road and into the lake below. I actually thought about this scenario every day as I rode home from school. I think I was destined to worry about something, even at the age of 7.
Childhood is an interesting time for all of us. How silly is it to think that when we were that small the only thing we wanted was to be BIG. We anticipated birthdays every year because that meant a year older and an additional finger to hold up. Now a days the only time I anticipate holding up a finger is when I give someone THE finger, and honestly I don't even remember the last time I did that.
I rode a green banana bike. The banana seat was so long that I could fit two of my girlfriends on the back. I would stand up and they would hang on for dear life. Being able to navigate your neighborhood, now that was important as a kid, too. Everyone had to have their own means of getting around from place to place, or rather from house to house. There is something about being mobile that appeals to children. Maybe because it seems grown up. I don't even own a car anymore, I do have a bike. It has been slightly upgraded and can no longer hold 3. I take a train to work that holds about a few hundred people. I can tell you this with absolute certainty....it's not as fun as the green banana bike.
I used to go to a carnival every summer.
I read Beverly Cleary books and wanted a little sister like Ramona.
I thought having breakfast for dinner was the best thing ever.
I would watch the sunset over Cayuga Lake and wonder what the same sunset looked like
in Florida.
I loved my dog Ginger.
I went to Emerson Park in the summer with an orange cooler filled with sandwiches, potato chips and grape soda.
I looked forward to holidays because that meant everyone was coming over.

I wondered what my life would be like when I grew up...what I would do for a career, where I would live....the places I would travel.

How silly is it to think that when we were small the only thing we wanted was to be BIG.