Christmas

Monday, May 18, 2015

Second Childhood

Perhaps my little guys bring out my inner child, but lately I find myself going back in time. It could be their playful pursuits, or maybe I just yearn for a more peaceful time in our world and in myself. Or it could be early senility – older people often behave like children. Whatever the reason, I definitely find myself wanting to be the way I was in my earlier life. I’m not even referring here to the time when I was able-bodied, although I’m sure that has something to do with it, too.

Last night we watched two old “I Love Lucy” shows on CBS, and we laughed as if we were kids. My husband remembers more about the shows than I, but I know I must have seen some of them. I read once that modern sitcoms all derive from original Lucy stunts. It says something that I could enjoy and laugh at such silly antics. I do watch the comedies that are on TV today, but most of them aren’t that funny, and many seek to get laughs from sexual innuendo and off-color remarks. Maybe I’m just an old fogey, but I enjoyed last night’s shows with its simple premises. Hearkening back to childhood? It sure looks that way.

Another old pastime to which I’ve returned is jigsaw puzzles. As a little girl, I love putting those little cardboard pieces together to reveal a picture.  When I was given larger puzzles, I remember sitting on the porch with my girlfriend and piecing the puzzle together. My mother’s nurse, who came every day for several years, told me that she did the giant puzzles over a span of weeks. Then she would glue the puzzle to heavy cardboard and get it framed. She gifted us with a huge autumn scene, and I hang it in the living room every fall. I gave her a giant one (undone, of course,) for her birthday one year. Right now, I work on puzzles on the computer, but they go quickly, and I have nothing to show for it when I finish. I get email from “Bits and Pieces” ever since I ordered that one for a gift. They’re not expensive, and I’m thinking about ordering one to try my hand at it. If it turns out all right, I’ll get it framed.

I’ve also been seeing ads for adult coloring books, and I’ve seen some completed pictures. They’re supposed to provide relaxation and de-stressing. I don’t think I’d put the money into purchasing a book, but I do have several coloring pictures in my computer picture folder. I’d probably struggle with the “no-right-hand” issue, but maybe it would strengthen the left hand. The suggested medium is colored pencils instead of crayons, but I’ve seen some people using fine markers. An author whose books I read and whose FB page I follow said yesterday that she sees no point in coloring, but she was bombarded with rebuttals. All of them said that it’s such a peaceful activity. If it turns out, I’ll show it here. Just one more extra-curricular sport to totally suck me in, I guess.

These are about all the childhood activities I can take on, but I’m looking forward to being a kid again!

Peace,

Muff

8 comments:

  1. HI MUFF love O love Lucy and all things child like too. I miss so much. I am under the weather - here is why:

    Yesterday I experienced my FIRST in almost 11 years MS related fall!! I hit the ground hard and fast - my bad leg/foot kinda rolled over and gave out and down I went. Skipp Schwartz came running to me as did my sister Nancy Kelly and her son Ethan. I had wondered if I could get up on my own if I ever fell and now I had the answer. I could not! It was quite a circus act to get me up and sitting on the bed - scary to say the least. The harsh reality of this disease overwhelmed mel. The fall and what it took to get me up was horrifying. I am feeling quite beat up today - my left arm and elbow are bruised and very hard to move, the left side of my lower back and hip are injured, both knees and my stomach muscles are sore. And there you have it!!

    See you soon
    Love me

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    1. Yikes! You really did take a spill. Your description sounds so familiar, as I've done that same stunt several times. After a while, didn't you just feel like staying on the floor? I'm sorry you got so badly hurt, and I hope you heal quickly. MS isn't easy.

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  2. I just spent a four days watching a marathon of Mad Men episodes. It took me back to my childhood as the award-winning TV series replicated the 60s and 70s. I Love Lucy was a series I loved then. So was the Mayberry world of Andy Griffith. And the world of the Waltons.I guess I'd like to believe life was simpler then, but it wasn't for nontraditional women or for minorities et al. So maybe it's simply a yearning for simplicity.

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    1. Yes, in many ways, it was a simpler time. Our parents knew nothing else but those societal mores. So, for us, the inequities seem abnormal -- for the previous generation it was the norm.

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  3. I couldn't edit out the a in the first sentence! My computer froze so I had to add this comment.

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    1. I had already mentally edited and deleted the trespasser.

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  4. i love lucy was always my favorite show growing up!!! the hubs brought me the entire series in color for christmas last year. we have enjoyed watching them!!!!

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    1. That's cool! I'm going to try and find more of them on my Roku.

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