At the start of a new year, we are encouraged to get rid of the old, to make space for the new. Yet in 2017, I still have things from 20 years ago which bring back fond memories which make me smile. Do you still have any of these things? Leave a comment below if you do.
1) Radio with cassette player and manual tuner (CD Player too)
I bought my radio in 2002 while I was in University in Toronto. I believe digital radios may have already been available but on my budget this is what I could afford. When I completed my degree I shipped my radio home. This radio actually moved with me into our new home. Sometimes when I listen to the radio and a song I like plays, I fondly recall my childhood when if your favorite song came on the radio, you either had to call the radio station and ask for them to play it so you could hear it again and try to record it or buy it on cassette or CD. The struggle was real! Perhaps 2017 is the year to upgrade my radio!
2) High School Shirt with messages from last day in Fifth Form
It was a tradition on the last day of school for the Fifth Formers to write notes to each other with permanent marker on your school shirt. It was a fun way to share memories while saying goodbye. I graduated in 2000 and I believe that shirt is still in my old closet if mom has not thrown it out. A couple years ago I looked at the names and messages on my old school shirt and smiled. Seventeen years later, some persons who wrote on my shirt are still in my life. Others I have not seen or heard from in years. Life has a way of taking us down different paths. Whatever path you have chosen, my hope is that you are happy, healthy and fulfilled.
The green and beige of our high school uniform and natural hair. Three of us are still great friends!
School friends at Christmas many years ago
3) Letters, Love Notes and Cards
Do you remember the days when people wrote letters and sent cards? I got my first email address when I was fourteen. Prior to that persons actually wrote letters. I had a few pen pals and I actually even kept in touch for a bit with friends who migrated and with persons I met while travelling. Some persons from other islands took a while to get email addresses so I wrote letters well into my teen years.
There is something special about paper. I believe letters and cards captured a lot more genuine feelings and emotions as they spanned time and space. It was always exciting to receive a letter or card in the mail. I felt special.
I have most of the letters and notes I ever received including love notes and secret admirer notes and cards. I have emails as well but it’s not the same. If you sent me something when I was a teenager, chances are I still have it packed away at my old home. I haven’t read them in years. Perhaps, in 2017, I will pull out the envelope of memories for some good smiles, laughs and memories.
Do you still have letters and cards from your teen years?
I would love a handwritten letter in 2017
4) My prom dress
My prom was in 2000. I loved my prom dress. It was iridescent and just so pretty. I felt truly gorgeous on prom night. I actually had another opportunity to wear my prom dress a few months later to a church formal. Since then however, it has been sitting in the closet in my bedroom at my mother’s house. The bodice laced up in the back and the skirt was a full skirt with tulle so I am confident it still fits in 2017. Perhaps the next time I am by my mom, I will try it on for the fun of it. Do you still have your prom dress?
5) Natural hair again in 2017
The first time I relaxed my hair I was 18. I vowed that I would never go back natural. It was the year 2001. Over the next fifteen years, my hair and I were on a journey through hills and valley – highs and lows. My 18 year old self, had no idea that in the year 2017, I would once again be rocking and enjoying my natural hair. Life has taught me that our feelings, attitudes and actions change as we grow older and with various circumstances. I hope my natural hair is here to stay but who knows. We’ll check back in 17 years.
Natural Hair in 2017
What are some of the things that you still have from 17 years ago? Do you have some of the things on this list?
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