This weekend I am home, where the smells are familiar and the food is good. Coming home reminds me of my childhood, as it is the place where I grew up. Thinking about my childhood has made me consider: what are some of the artifacts of my childhood?
In my mind, there a few objects that shaped my childhood.
Crayons in a metal tin is one of them. This was a birthday present I received on my third birthday. Now those crayons were cool. I had all the colors, even the rare ones.
I remember often sitting on a bar stool at the kitchen counter of my grandparent's house, coloring with my grandpa. He would patiently explain how to color in between the lines, and I would feebly attempt to follow his directions. The entire time, I would be smelling the rich aroma of paper and wax that is crayons. It is the smell of my childhood. To this day, I still keep my crayons in a tin.
Another artifact of my childhood is marbles. I can remember running and pulling the cutting board out from the counter and plopping it down on the living room floor, divvying up the marbles and trying to collect all of my grandpa's marbles with my shooter. The chink, clink noise is vividly ingrained in my memory.
Books were a staple of my childhood. My parents would read to me every night before bed and my grandpa would read aloud while babysitting me. I still have a few of my beloved childhood books. They are tattered, ripped, bitten and barfed on. I wouldn't have them any other way. And all barf aside, they smell amazing. I have always loved the smell of books, both new and old. Sometimes, when my academics become overwhelming, I pause and shove my nose deep into a book and breathe, remembering my love of learning.
Worms, too, will be a smell I never forget. So many days of fishing with my grandpa have etched it into my heart. That and sorting through my grandpa's crappie jigs. There's just a certain smell that accompanies them, having been around fish, and in the murky water.
Now that I've listed some of the artifacts of my childhood, I'm realizing that I still appreciate and own the same, if not similar, things today. I still have crayons in a tin can and my grandpa still has the marbles we played with as I was growing up. I still read avidly and I still go fishing. My relationship with these things has changed over the years, but elements of each still remain in my life.
Interesting enough, all of the things are that are so deeply connected to my childhood also are tied to memories with my grandpa, who has had an enormous impact on the person I have become. I am so grateful that he kindled my love for each of these things in my formative years.
