This nearly made me cry. I think I might be just in that period when you start to feel nostalgia for childhood.
I've just worked as a cook for the summer camp I used to go to when I was a kid and it made the past and the present mix in such a strange way. The melancholy but also the joy of learning what it's like "behind the scenes". This seems to capture that strange feeling perfectly. Thank you.
A belated “wonderful” to this ode to childhood. Ah, the magic of it all. Made me think about some of those vertiginous experiences of my boyhood. The treehouses and neighborhood dogs following us through deer trails and watching as we dangled on rope swings in the hills of Los Gatos, California. All before the dot com era, when the only screens were Zenith TV’s set to four channels, but mostly whichever one ran Star Trek.
" ... fear is also ... more intense when you’re young. A potential for violence feels vertiginous at any age, but, when you must tilt your head upward to find the world, violence is absolute, it feels intolerable, horrific, and inescapable when you’re so small and everyone else is so big." Yes, Charles, it does. And wow! I have wanted to express this for years, but did not know how. Thank you for taking me back to the JOY of my childhood with this excellent piece. It is hard to access it through the pain.
Beautiful post, Charles. I've been thinking a lot about this in recent times. I really like that description of novelty when you're younger: 'Passion and ferocity and expansiveness'. Perfect.
Sensations of Childhood
Damn! This is great. When are you gonna publish a book???
This nearly made me cry. I think I might be just in that period when you start to feel nostalgia for childhood.
I've just worked as a cook for the summer camp I used to go to when I was a kid and it made the past and the present mix in such a strange way. The melancholy but also the joy of learning what it's like "behind the scenes". This seems to capture that strange feeling perfectly. Thank you.
A belated “wonderful” to this ode to childhood. Ah, the magic of it all. Made me think about some of those vertiginous experiences of my boyhood. The treehouses and neighborhood dogs following us through deer trails and watching as we dangled on rope swings in the hills of Los Gatos, California. All before the dot com era, when the only screens were Zenith TV’s set to four channels, but mostly whichever one ran Star Trek.
Brought back lots of memories! Thanks!
" ... fear is also ... more intense when you’re young. A potential for violence feels vertiginous at any age, but, when you must tilt your head upward to find the world, violence is absolute, it feels intolerable, horrific, and inescapable when you’re so small and everyone else is so big." Yes, Charles, it does. And wow! I have wanted to express this for years, but did not know how. Thank you for taking me back to the JOY of my childhood with this excellent piece. It is hard to access it through the pain.
Beautiful post, Charles. I've been thinking a lot about this in recent times. I really like that description of novelty when you're younger: 'Passion and ferocity and expansiveness'. Perfect.
Beautiful. Love the vivid use of the 5 senses and the details.