My daughter asked me a killer question recently.
“Mummy, did you live in the past?” My answer was “yes” because we all lived in the past, even five year-olds. Following that I had to verify that the question was “did” and not “do” because if it was the latter, then I would have two problems on my hands.
1. A deep thinking, highly sensitive daughter who has noticed my overly-nostalgic
tendencies and is worried about my mental wellbeing.
2. I have noticeably over-nostalgic tendencies that cause even five year-olds to worry about my mental wellbeing.
So when she followed it up with “I mean, did you have a carpet beater and have to go to Tesco on a horse when you were little,” I was very relieved. I’m not perceived to be living in the past after all. I have my feet firmly in the here and now. Hooray.
I love how children have no concept of time or age. I recall asking my own mum and dad if everything was black and white when they were little. Then it struck me how life had come full circle and here I was being asked the same curious questions by a very similar curious five
year-old.
It got me thinking about my childhood, my school years, my jobs, my friends. I thought about the happiest times of my life and got out the appropriate cds to take me back there in an instant. At one point, I even found myself in the loft, rifling through old boxes, dragging out shoes and handbags from yesteryear. One particular pair of ankle boots has been a regular fixture in my wardrobe ever since. Ok, so maybe my feet aren’t quite in the here and now…
Fashions and fads have a lot to answer for, not least my packed out loft. It’s not just clothes we’ve seen come and go either, with sofas, coffee tables and bookshelves having been shipped in and out over the years.
However, there’s one thing we’ll never replace – our Little Lucy Willow beds of course. Unique, luxurious, timeless and forever in the present!
