chelsea cookSometimes memories catch up with you and your brain silently screams, “You’ve got to be kidding!” That just happened to me and, while I enjoyed some of it, some of it was... I don’t know. It wasn’t exactly unpleasant but... I dunno.
OK, let me explain and maybe you will have a thought to share. This started several days ago and I have been sorta, almost, kinda ignoring it. No, it is not a big deal like getting arrested for illegal walking or something like that, it... nevermind, here goes.
While allegedly cleaning the garage I kept coming across buried time capsules. It seems that every phase of my life is in a box or an envelope somewhere in the garage. Most of it brought back some great memories and thoughts of people I have been associated with way log time ago.
Some old newspapers showed that at one time i was a real person who actually did some good things. Some of the things I did while living in Wewoka were really neat and I was happy to revisit those memories. Two or three newspapers were from when there was a great newspaper called “The Tulsa Tribune.” I had written an essay on education and a proposed state program and the editors liked it enough to publish it under a guest heading. Later they asked me to submit more but gave no specific topic. To be asked to submit to a major newspaper was/is a great memory to hold.
There were many other things in many other boxes but then I came across a large plastic bag with odd looking papers at the bottom. This is the one where someone with a small vocabulary would say, “It blew me away!” Figuratively, it did. About two pounds of paper were memories from my last two years of high school.
Now I am not going to tell you how long ago that was but I had two items from my 11th grade and they were dated 1954. There was a brittle program, on plain paper as we could not afford real printing, of our 11th grade class play. This was not Shakespeare or John Milton. It was “Finders Creepers,” A Mystery-Comedy by Donald Payton, directed by Mr. W.S. Sharp and was presented to the public on Friday, March 19, 1954.
There were 14 characters and, I had forgotten this, I had the lead. The production staff must have included about half the Junior Class as there were many names listed. I have very fond memories of every name there. I sincerely hope they all have had a good life.
To say I was popular with the faculty may just bring down a lightning bolt. At that point in my life I could hardly wait to get out of school so I could become a school band director. English, literature and poetry were also important but all that other stuff didn’t matter.
However, the biggest surprise in the sack was my geometry grade card. I made a “C” in geometry and would not have believed it if I didn’t have physical proof.  Other items did not bring up such bad feelings as that geometry class did. There were many items that brought smiles and feelings of very good will.
There was my oldest brother’s Air Force patch which he proudly gave me. He was in the Army Air Corps when it changed over to an independent service, if I remember correctly. He was very proud of being in the Air Force. I have three 5th Division (?) patches, two 13th Corps patch and a general patch. School letters where I lettered in band and Thespians.
More than a dozen senior cards and programs from both Junior/Senior banquets.  Some memory books contain things which make you wonder. One: “To a fool from a fool,” was followed by: “To a swell guy, Good Luck” and then other immature teen age verbiage casting dispersions on my character..  But my most favorite memory is the judge’s adjudication sheet when I did student directing for a critique. I made a 1st division and can still sing parts of the piece in my head.
 Now it’s your turn. Remember way back to your school days and the fun you had. Try not to remember the things you shouldn’t have done, unless you got by with it, but concentrate on friends and good times, laughing, dancing and draggin’ Main.
We had many a group "meeting" at the lake or at the Patty Ann. Now most of our memories are of those good times. Making that 1st division set my life and is a wonderful memory.
This song says it all so, so well: “Memories, light the corners of my mind, Misty watercolor memories of the way we were.”  Now listen here with your eyes closed and be glad you were young when you were:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NqBWLeP9f4