Back when I was in high school as part of an English course I was taking, we had to write journals on a regular basis. It wasn't a typical journal where you could write anything you wanted. The teacher handed out a schedule we had to follow along with specific journal topics we had to write. Overall, it was a fun thing to do - at least for me, anyways. I was going through all of my old assignments from high school and college tonight just for kicks because I hadn't really looked at those things for quite awhile. I tell ya, it really brought back some good memories. Anyways, here's one journal in particular that really hit home for me, especially at this time. The topic of this journal involved us writing about a situation or situations that made us realize we were no longer children. I got to see my Uncle John for the first time in many years when my grandma was dying in her hospital bed. That is why this particular journal is so poignant.
Journal #42
Written 5-5-1998
There have actually been a number of experiences in my life that made me realize I was no longer a child. They are just small instances that made me think at the time but didn't stick in my mind for long.
Probably the biggest incident happened at Christmas time in 1995. It was a couple days after Christmas day and we were headed out to my Grandma's house to visit and also to open some presents. When we got there, just my Grandma, her son, and two of my Uncle John's sons were there. We had a little Christmas dinner first, then we opened presents.
When I grabbed my Uncle John's present, I didn't know what to expect. He had always given me these strange presents before so I was a little leery about opening this one. I kind of shook it around at first to guess what it was but I couldn't tell, so I began to open it.
When I saw what the gift was, I was shocked. I had never gotten that kind of present before. But it was something appropriate for my age. It was cologne. Everyone in the room was chuckling a bit but I wasn't. I threw it in the box and never looked at it again. I always got some kind of toy from my Uncle John but never something like that. I guess that is something to expect from everyone as I grow older.
All the other incidents are less significant. The Christmas one is probably the most important as it does stick out in my mind as an event that made me realize I was no longer a child.
And you want to know something? I still have that cologne from that Christmas in 1995. I never became a big cologne wearer but I have used that particular cologne once in a great, great while. Ah, such great memories. It's really fun to go back and re-read these old journals. Don't be surprised to see a few more of these show up on certain occasions.
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