A List Of Mementos: A Work In Progress

A List Of Mementos: A Work In Progress

• A finger painting of a clown, to remind me of where I began.
• A bachelor’s degree, to remind me of what it means to overcome.
• A chess set, to remind me why I love strategy.
• A Galileo thermometer, to remind me of my inspiration.
• A bottle of sparkling cider, to remind me to appreciate family while you can.
• A glass sailboat, to remind me that the best memories are timeless.
• A lanyard, to remind me that honesty and persuasion can work wonders.
• An iPod that says Non sum qualis eram, to remind me to accept change.
• A Necronomicon, to remind me why I love horror.
• A copy of The Dictionary of Imaginary Places, to remind me to keep dreaming.
• A puka shell necklace, to remind me of the spirit of Aloha.
• A cave painting charm, to remind me to keep exploring.
• An old walking stick, to remind me of the mountains I’ve climbed.
• A stamp from 10,000 ft. up, to remind me that the climb is just as important as the view.
• A miniature anchor, to remind me to keep taking chances.
• A miniature gilded elephant, to remind me to seek opportunities.
• A miniature Eiffel Tower, to remind me that some things are worth the wait.
• A cable car ticket stub, to remind me some things aren’t.
• A scorpion in plexiglass, to remind me of places to which I’ll never return.
• A wooden Mayan charm on a string, to remind me what heat and time truly feel like.
• A pewter Majora’s Mask, to remind me why video games are art after all.
• A set of pins, to remind me to share my passion for literature.
• A LEGO Hamlet, to remind me why I love being a geek.
• A Hello Kitty Chun-Li, to remind me that I should accept all aspects of myself.
• A pair of Buddhist prayer bead bracelets, to remind me to stay curious.

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The Telescope And The Not-So Big Gift

Hey, folks. Today’s Daily Prompt is all about desire. No, not the steamy kind. This is about something you always wanted for Christmas or birthday as a child, but never got. Most kids in the late 80’s/early 90’s would probably say a Super Nintendo, Stretch Armstrong, or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Turtle Power!). But of course, I just had to be the weird one; I wanted a telescope. Not one of those lame kiddie ones, but an actual, legit telescope I could take into the backyard and look at the stars.

Learning about Galileo and watching the Endeavour launch might have been an influence.

Yeah, you can probably imagine how that Christmas went down. Even though I was struggling with long division, I was still savvy enough to know that a telescope was a Big Gift. I knew that kids got the Big Gifts only when they were really good and their parents were rich enough. I knew I was set in the former – I was the #1 Reader in my class – but definitely not the latter. I understood that my mother was working hard just to keep the essentials running, so Big Gifts weren’t likely to happen. However, I failed to notice the more obvious: I was living in the suburbs. With so much light coming from the other houses, stargazing would have been feeble at best. Besides, it’s not like they’d let a little kid go wandering around the neighborhood at night. Nevertheless, I put the telescope on my wishlist and crossed my fingers.

…And my toes and eyes.

I didn’t get it, of course. Pretty sure I got some books and a sweater. However, someone must have decided to meet my wish halfway; a few Christmases later I was surprised to receive the LEGO Space Shuttle Launch Pad. That thing was so good, it became a fixture in my room for almost a decade. It’s still one of my all-time favorite sets. For a kid who knew better than to expect too much, that was a Big Gift all its own.