Random Thoughts

So as I have entered my mid-50s, I find my thoughts often drift to the past. It was a time when children left the house in the morning and only popped back in if they got hungry around lunchtime. We played outside until the street lights came on or mom rang the dinner bell (whichever came first).

We spent a couple of years in South Bend, Indiana living on a cul-de-sac called Brandon Lane. As citizens of Indiana, we had a fondness for the Indy 500. This love naturally became visible in our outside play as we embarked on an intense race that tested our physical fitness and mental acuity. It was a bike race. It was the Brandon 500.

The whole neighborhood participated. I’m not quite sure for how many laps we circled that cul-de-sac, but the event was full of kids flexing their athletic prowess and experiencing controversy as accidents, bike malfunctions, and the occasional foul call made it an exciting experience for all.

The largest dilemma, that is still argued to this day, was the fight to the finish line. If we had video back then, it would surely have been akin to the disqualification of Maximum Security in favor of Country House at the 2019 Kentucky Derby. My eldest brother and sister were neck and neck just shy of the finish line. As they approached what would have required a photo finish, my brother’s bike pedal broke. This mishap helped ensure my sister’s victory.

To this day, my brother will declare that he would have won if his pedal had stayed intact. My sister disagrees. If you want to watch an exciting debate ensue, bring this topic up at a family gathering.

Keeping the memories…

Stay groovy…

–Susie

(Copyright 2019 Susie Krivacic)

Thinking back on my childhood, it’s amazing that the simplest things were so much fun. One memory that comes to mind is waiting for the garbage truck to arrive on trash day. I kid you not…

We lived in Phoenix, Arizona, and I was (at the time) the youngest of four kids aged four to ten. We had a fenced backyard with an alley. Now, the alley was the road in which the garbage truck came to pick up our rubbish. We had the usual swing set in our backyard and something we called the tangle tower. At the time, the tower seemed to be the height of the Empire State Building.

On garbage day, we would all raced to the tower and quickly climbed to the top to wait and then wave to the garbage men as they drove past us. They were always jovial and called hello back. We’d then scamper back down and continue our play.

I think of those men from time to time and wonder if they ever think about those four silly kids who waited with glee for their arrival. I hope other kids waiting along the same route to brighten their day as well.

Stay groovy…

–Susie

(Copyright 2019 Susie Krivacic)