I remember when we used to get the JC Penney Christmas Catalog and even Sears and Montgomery Ward catalogs. When I was a kid I would go through them and write down what I wanted Santa to bring me for Christmas. There always was a Crayola art set on my list, sometimes a doll, but mostly art and science stuff.
When I got older and didn't really have a mile long list of of things I wanted, I got a little more adventurous and used my imagination. I would pretend that I had $1 Million dollars and I wanted to fill my dream home with things. I would go through the catalogs, not the Christmas ones, but just the regular ones and write down things I would like to furnish my home with or things I would like to have....in my closets and just every room of the house. I'd write the article and price and how many of each...even colors if I wanted various colors of the same thing. It was a fascinating way for me to use my imagination, and THINK of what things I wanted that would actually fit my taste and the size of home I would have. I never finished the list....I knew that my wish list was just a dream, but in the beginning it was fun to go through the catalogs and dream...
When I was in High School I often got books on handwriting analysis, personality analysis, and all kinds of things on arts and crafts. I taught myself calligraphy and always had the pens to do that sort of thing. While working at the library, I would check out books on all sorts of things. I learned to macrame hanging basket holders...made a few for my Mom. I read many different fictional books, mostly stuff from Judy Blume and V.C. Andrews. Sometimes I read about psychology and sometimes I got books on poetry.
I used to write poetry a lot. I know I have most of it in storage but I don't ever get it out anymore to read what was in all those poems. I loved poems to rhyme. I tried writing limericks, they'd get silly. I tried writing haiku's, but they don't necessarily rhyme, and they are so blasted short for my taste. I read Edgar Allen Poe's poetry, and my sister and I spent time together one season memorizing his poem "Annabel Lee," It was easy to learn because of the rhyme and meter to it. I have no idea why we both thought that was a cool poem to memorize. I tried to remember the stanzas of "The Raven" but that one was a little too long for me. Dad liked that poem. I believe I kept the book on Edgar Allen Poe's works, it reminds me of Dad, and one good memory of my Sister, and his stories, though creepy, were interesting to me.
I got a Kodak Disc camera when I was in high school, and took pictures all the time. I loved going to the park and taking sunset pictures. I would mail my pictures off to York Color Labs and pay a lot less than at the stores that did the same thing. It would take longer to get them back, but I loved doing it nonetheless. That little camera was my closest friend and took 15 pictures on the round disc it used for film. I never did learn how to use a 35mm camera, the ones with the bells and whistles and different telephoto lenses and all that. But it was always on my catalog wish list. LOL
Think of a gizmo that kids played with, and I probably played with it. My all time favorite gizmo was the Rubik's Cube. I got really really good at that thing. I still have one somewhere, but I would have to read the directions again to memorize the different moves to get a piece in a position to the side I wanted it to be. It can be complicated at first, I got so good with it, I liked to show people, if they had the time and patience to watch me do it. My friends Shan and Tricia, their Aunt's Sara and Theresa, would love to watch me do that thing. I have a Christmas card from them in the past 10 years where they mention that too. So funny that they remembered that one thing from my past. Good memories those two!
And when my stuff was boring to play with, I would go tinker with my brothers stuff. He had an Erector Set and I loved to help build stuff with that. Heck I loved playing with Lego's, Lincoln Logs, and even now mentioned recently to my husband about finding some Lego kits and building stuff with them like I used to do. He always looks at me funny when I mention playing with TOYS, but I just shrug him off. I think toys are fun no matter what your age. The building sets are good for manual dexterity, 3d imaginings and they do have all those lovely bright COLORS!
.....when you have nothing else to do, you can always use your imagination and play, and be a kid for a day! Parents and adults sometimes forget that all this play and dreaming is calming on the nerves and serves a body well....and keeps you young. My life needed more of this fun .... but it would be a while before I got back to it.
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