With my Birthday soon approaching (hint, hint) I felt the need to express some more thoughts as you sip your morning brew. So what does the little blue Tonka Van have to do with my birthday? Well I’m about to tell you.
I was just turning 11 or 12, I really can’t recall, but that doesn’t really matter. It was one of the first years in my life that I still loved toys, but for some reason they were no longer that much fun. I was of the age where I was torn between being a child and being a teenager. I remember that my mom asked me what I wanted for my Birthday, and for some reason I began to cry. I told mom that “I didn’t know what I wanted.” I think that she somehow knew what I was going through. This was also the same year that I would rather be playing kickball than mowing lawns. It’s hard to convey those true feelings in writing, but I’m just thankful that I can still remember those feelings now.
Thus the little blue Tonka Van. That was my Birthday gift from Mom and Dad. It may seem a little trite, but I think that out of all of the gifts I ever received that I will always remember the Tonka Van. After all I still have it after all these years, and I was able to readily find it for the photo shoot.
I have had other memorable years, like the year I spent my Birthday at Silver Dollar City, or the year that that I went to Disney World, it seems like it was just last year . . . oh I guess it was. I recall always receiving a single dollar bill from my grandmother. I still have the last 6 of them and refuse to spend them. The last one came in 1993 when I turned 20. It’s really just the simple things in life that we learn to really appreciate. Even when I was younger I recall getting a free meal from Captain D’s, and that was a big deal. Now it seems like if we spend less that $20 on our own kids that we’re skimping too much. Oh well, maybe my kids will take care of their cool toys and blog about it in 25 years too.
So the age old question still came up this year when my mother asked me what I wanted for my Birthday, and to my dismay I still can’t decide. I really, once again, don’t know. At least this time I’m all grown up so I don’t have to embark on that puberty thing again. When it really comes down to it I don’t want anything this year for my Birthday. I have a wonderful family and many good friends so what more can I ask for? But . . .If you still feel a little guilty and feel the need to give me a gift; I will accept cold hard cash and gift cards!