My hand picks up a flat rock as the blue water waits. My hand swings back, the rock heavy, and it bounces on the surface of the water four times and then disappears into the water.
Memories are like skipping stones. Some memories have greater bounce and they stick in our conscious, resisting the urge to disappear. There are certain details I will never forget and will bounce eternal in my mind. Here are some of my skipping stones:
I remember every morning my mom would braid my hair as I watch Three Stooges on the television set, laughing at Moe, Larry and Curly. When I came home in the afternoon, my mom would have an afternoon snack ready as I would tell her about my day. As a little girl, my parents took me to putt-putt golf every Friday. My father would play two rounds with me, cheering me on, anticipating my hole in one. I remember Sunday donut days, my father driving to one particular donut shop on the other side of town, even though there were several local shops in our neighborhood.
There were memories with my sister too. We would watch award shows together and eat Subway sandwiches during Dallas Cowboy football games. Oh, and yeah, we would both try to mimic the dance moves of The New Kids on the Block, replaying the tape over and over again, until we got the dance just right.
There are more recent memories too that haven’t faded away. Husband and I sitting outside our favorite pond talking about nothing in particular, our gelato days in Italy, and all the regular ordinary moments that led to laughter.
We both now share this time with our daughter. And the memory of her birth, of course will always be a permanent imprint. I know some of my most precious memories will have her in them. From her random I Love You’s to just recently, when she had her first open house at school, displaying her artwork, smiling, proud of what she accomplished.
These are the memories that won’t sink. They have bounce.
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What are some of your skipping stones? What do you remember most about them?
Welcome! I am a lawyer turned freelance writer, essayist, and editor. On staff at Literary Mama and the co-founder and co-editor of the literary journal, The Sunlight Press, my essays and reported work have appeared in The Washington Post, The Lily, Saveur, Civil Eats, Brain, Child, ESPN and elsewhere. I am currently at work on a memoir on grief and culture and how it provides perspective on life’s ordinary graces. I invite you to appreciate the ordinary with me. I hope my daily practice of seeing the magic in the mundane helps you celebrate and find more of these moments in your life too.
I love this analogy of memories as skipping stones!
Those are all great memories. And the one about New Kids on the Block made me giggle. My sister and I did that, too. We also liked to pretend that we were Madonna and we had a “girl band” called “The Material Girls,” which was really just us lip synching to our JEM tapes. Oh, to be young again!
Rudri, I love the little snippets of your memories you provided here. But the New Kids on the Block one is surely one I hope would sink. For me at least. 🙂
There was one point in my life where I wanted to be Madonna. It didn’t last long but long enough to dress up and even made up a song that I tried to sing just like her. In front of my dad. Your NKOTB reference reminded me of that. I hope my dad has forgotten.
My son loves to skip rocks. He’s fabulous at it. I stink. He tries to teach me, showing me how to hold the rock just so, how to release it to the water so it won’t be swallowed. But I just don’t have what it takes.
So I content myself with gathering rocks for him to throw. There is a rhythm at the water’s edge; a peace to gathering stones to toss.
At night, when it’s time to sink into slumber, I am good at throwing around a few stories until eyelids get heavy. Memories stay afloat more easily for me than rocks.
We all have an ability to make something bounce.
Love the metaphor.
Love your description of these as skipping stones and bouncing memories. I wrote about many of mine today, too.
Rudri, the metaphor of skipping stones is just perfect!
I love donut Sundays – I think I might have to start that tradition with my husband.
Sounds like you had some great memories… and many more to come with your family.
I, too, loved the NKOTB reference. My friends and I watched and mimicked dance moves from soooo many music videos! Just last month, we visited my parents and watched an old VHS tape of me and my friends on stage in a lip sync contest in grade 5. Madonna, of course! Oh, the memories! 🙂
I’m going to bring down the eloquent tone of this post a little bit and just say … I could totally rock the NKOTB Hangin’ Tough dance. Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh [waving hand in air] …
Thanks for skipping this stone back into my mind today. =>
That’s quite a visual, Stacia! And I’d be right there with you!
I love the analogy of memories being like skipping stones, just beautiful. Some really do last forever, like the stones that seem to just keep on skipping, over the horizon. Just beautiful
What a beautiful post, Rudri. I love the last line. Certain memories do have bounce, and I’m also grateful that some of them sink.
I am so glad you have this blog and you can write about being you. The memories will be there then, for you, forever.
It’s the feelings that stay with me. In particular, overwhelming love. For my sons and my husband. I feel like the luckiest person on earth.
I am so glad I found you. I will visit you often.
“These are the memories that won’t sink. They have bounce.”
Yes! I love this. I have so many. My husband would roll his eyes and make a comment about my “college days” stories.
I totally did the NKOTB dances. No shame in my game!
Bouncing memories. Love it.
I remember, vividly, belting out Whitney Houston during a sleepover while donning lip gloss and eating fondue. Huh… didn’t realize that was still in there under the surface, but your NKOTB reference made it bounce.
Oooo, I like this “These are the memories that won’t sink. They have bounce.” How perfectly fitting! There is something distinctly different with watching your own children grow up. I mean, you were there from the beginning!
NKOTB was a fave of mine as well. : )
Memories with bounce…what a great phrase. Reading this reminded me of the time my mom spent doing my hair in the morning, and the time I spend braiding my daughter’s hair. Both thoughts made me smile.
Such sweet, wonderful memories to hold onto. I love this memory post. And I love the line “These are the memories that won’t sink.” Perfect!
Memory as skipping stones. Yes. It’s a wonderful analogy.
Unfortunately – or fortunately – some of the recollections disappear as we get older. Many gems stay well above the surface of the water, and some, we let go with no regret.
Lovely.
This is such a sweet post. So delicate with your words and imagery and yet so filled with such heart. I really like it.
I like this skipping stone analogy. For even when the memory disappears under the surface, the ripples go on and on…..
Happy Saturday.
Memories with bounce. I love it too. What a perfect metaphor.
Perfect metaphor!!! I really love this post.
Great metaphor. I love the image of memories skipping along the water. My most recent “skipping stone” is Hannah and Maya in the backseat of the car “talking” to each other. Hannah is telling Maya a story and Maya coos and laughs back to her. I hope my girls will have many memories like this that they will share with each other.
Memories with bounce – what a fantastic image. I especially appreciate the shared bounces that I have with friends and family. When my husband and I can recall the same moment and both conjure up the particular feeling from that memory, it’s extra delicious. “Remember that time…”
Memories with bounce. Yes. Beautiful. As I’m sure so many others here have said. And the interesting part of it all is that sometimes, when these memories bounce back up at us, they are changed a little bit, reshaped a little bit. Just as we are, and time is.
You Sunday morning with your dad at the donut shop sounds like my own with my father at the bagel store. If I could get one of those back, just one…