therealljidol - Topic 1
LJ IDOL SEASON 4
TOPIC 1: "MY FAVORITE 'CHILDHOOD' MEMORY"
It's hard to pin down a favorite memory from childhood since even at thirty years old, I feel like most of the first decade or so of my own life is pretty much considered by me to be the distant past. I remember most of my "Growing Up" years only as blurry thought patterns with nothing much that really stands out. I can state facts and bullet points which ocurred on key dates such as my Bar Mitzvah at age 13 or the day I got my first tricycle.
Granted, one thing that does stand out as a favorite is really odd by most people's standards. I would dare say it shouldn't even be counted as a normally happy memory, but they say that hindsight is 20/20. It is with this hindsight that I look up one of my stupid acts in childhood, but i do laugh every time I relect upon this. Regardless, this is why I deem this to be my favorite childhood memory.
Flashback to the year 1982 when I just a wee lad of five years old and my grandparents still had their Chinese boutique and gift shop in the King of Prussia Plaza. Now, back in the late 70s/early 80s, this shopping mall was much smaller than it's current layout. The King of Prussia Court was just completed which included more upscale department stores like Macy's and Bloomingdales. Since my grandparents regularly ran their business with hand-on approach, I tended to spend my time at the mall. I guess you could say I was born and bred to be a mallrat. My favorite spots were either the old SpacePort video game arcade, the Kiddie City toy store, or the big reflecting pool near Wanamaker's.
So, it was one of these times of reckless abandon by the reflecting pool that I train my focus. I was with my dad just running about being wild and carefree. Ignoring his warnings, I climbed on the surrounding marble bench area next to the water. Now, as we all know marble is very smooth and quite slippery. One misstep can result in any number of happening such the inevitable fall. Well, it's said that pride goes before such a fall and since I was young, I didn't have much pride to be had anyway.
*SPLASH!* I went into the pool all at once. Soaked to the bone, it was a lucky break I didn't do anything more bodily injury to myself outside of getting wet. Luckily, I was with my dad who rushed me back to the back room of my grandparents' store to get me into a change of clothes. I did get scolded and admonished for doing such a silly stunt, but at the time, I wanted to do it again.
It's funny looking back at this event on reflection, but I think some of my better childhood days were spent at this mall. I remember being a rambunctious youth around the time when Return of the Jedi was first released in the movie theater. I was happy-go-lucky and enjoyed it. I had not yet been fully absorbed into the elementary/grade school ethic. These were probably some the best times in my life...at least while I was in pre-school...