From One's Childhood to Another's

The word of the day: Nostalgia.

My mother came by this morning, after making a run to our storage garage in Paradise, with some remnants of my childhood for Mimi.  Even as a child I appreciated hand-me-downs, but perhaps that's because my hand-me-downs were of particularly fine quality.  For example, my first train set was my father's - a 1955 Lionel Steam engine complete with whistle tender and barrel car.

Today Mimi received several items that came new to me but descend to her with more memories than she can possible fathom.  The first is my rocking horse.

My Grandpa Mac, my Mother's father, had produced one of these rocking horses for the families of each of his children.  Made of solid mahogany, it served my sister and I faithfully, as well as countless eager and rowdy friends, for years.  Now, after 15 years in storage, he has returned to service once again, chomping at the bit for a new rider.  He's a little worse for wear - his handle is looser than it once was and his tail is nigh nonexistent - but he still looks beautiful.  Mimi's a bit small to ride him on her own, but she'll get there before I know it.

Mimi's favorite item so far, and perhaps mine as well when I was a kid, has been my childhood rocking chair.  She was a bit skeptical at first - "This chair might not be entirely stable!" - but she soon took to it.  Within an hour or so she was able to set herself on the precarious perch, rock to her heart's content, and then slip back down to the floor.  By the end of the afternoon she was beginning to scoot across the room in it, frenetically rocking forward with upward kicks and downward head thrusts.

With this addition to our meager collection of furniture we definitely need to get some rugs for our hardwood floors.  Rocking and scooting were only two of the three actions in which I excelled in my little rocker.  The third, and by far the most enjoyable, was tipping it over from any and every angle.  Forward, back, to the side, it didn't matter.  As long as I ended up in a non-sitting position, I was happy.  Mimi's going to be the same, I can already tell.  Rugs are definitely in order.

Seeing these little items insinuate themselves back into my life has been a blessing.  I watch my daughter play with them and I remember, if only minutely, what it was like to be her age.  I've also been contemplating just how we pass on our childhood to our own progeny.  Having lived in Japan and Manhattan for the past ten years, I've become accustomed to throwing things out in order to manage the tight quarters.  But, having returned to California and come across some of my childhood treasures, I'm thankful that I grew up in a place where my family could stockpile the ephemera of years gone by.  The vast majority of it, at some point, will eventually be sold or tossed out.  But what a joy to have access to those items you had forgotten and, now rediscovered, could never do without. 

Today we also visited the San Francisco Academy of Sciences.  It was my first trip to the storied museum in the past 20 years.  Is it as good as the Museum of Natural History in NYC?  No, I don't think so, but it is in my backyard and it is phenomenal.  Mimi was particularly taken with the aquarium.

Grandma, having brought down the nostalgia, joined us at the museum.  She was a tremendous with Mimi as we navigated the crowds. 

The roof of the museum is a "living roof," covered with grass and other plant life.  This keeps the museum cooler during the summer and warming during the winter.  Remarkable... if I hadn't seen it already on the roof of my host father's office in Japan.  That man never ceases to amaze me.  Still, the best part of the day was on the roof, where Mimi was free and set about exploring the railing.

I can't wait to continue to explore this wonderful city with Mimi.  And to share with her the memories associated with the mementos saved from my own childhood.  Who knows.  Maybe she'll share them with her own children some day.