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Reminiscence 9/3/2010 6:15:02 AM
This is an essay written by my seventeen-year-old granddaughter. Words of wisdom from one so young. The harmonic tone of a child laughing always brings me joy. Even though my ear was pounding from an infection, I still took delight in hearing the young boy and girl squeal in pleasure as they ran circles around each other. Even though this was the doctor’s office and they may come out crying with Hello Kitty or Spiderman band aids pasted to their pale flesh, they were carefree. The little girl, with her brunette ringlets bouncing freely around her shoulders, and the little boy, whose blue eyes shut tight as he fell on the floor laughing, were both cheerful.
In their laughter, I heard my childhood. I heard the imaginary land of my stuffed animals and the clink of my Lego pegs fitting together to build a pyramid – the only thing I found enjoyment in building. In their giggling, I heard the spokes of my training wheels on my pink Barbie mermaid bike. In their dazed frolicking, I saw myself spinning until the sky and ground split and I couldn’t tell up from down nor if I was sideways or the world was. In their carefree world, I found my six-year-old self still searching for Pokémon or fairies or monsters under the bed. In my childhood, war was just a game, disease meant a cough or a sneeze, and the only good grades were stickers or sweet-smelling stamps. Ignorance was bliss.
Those two children in the doctor’s office represented something to me in that moment that I hadn’t known I had lost. They symbolized my inner child. It took all of me not to stand up and run around with them, even if I would have received odd looks from their mothers and fathers. They reminded me of the constant importance to stay true to the first years of my life. Even though life can be scary or stressful, it is always important to have fun. It is important to watch cartoons or, whenever possible, play with the toys from your past. I believe that no one should go a day without laughter. No matter what situation a human being is in, they should always be reminded of the cheerful days of their childhood and the ignorant bliss of their play.
The blond-haired boy spun around, a copycat of the girl with hazel eyes, expressing his happiness with his bright smile and harmonic laughter. A mimicking of the boy, the young girl fell on her bottom and bounced back up with no hint of pain, squealing in delight. Both of them reminded me that no matter what happens, laugh and focus on bliss.
