I’m sporadically participating in the Clear Fork Publishing challenge where my publisher Callie Metler-Smith offers prompts to the Clear Fork Authors and Illustrators. Today’s challenge is Throwback Thursday – “Post a throwback picture that has something to do with you personally.”
Since, I live on an RV, my old photos are in storage. However, I did come across a scanned photo that seemed to relate to the challenge. The photo directed me to a photo journal that I started back in 2004. We were purging our home of fifteen years in preparation for a move from Chicago to North Carolina. I struggled emotionally with letting go of “memories.” I decided to take photos of the “memories” and write about them. Today, I share my Throwback Thursday photo and memories. As I was uploading my photo, I realized that it isn’t my photo. It is one I found somewhere (can’t remember where). But it is very much like my old skate box.
MY OLD ROLLER SKATES
by Alayne Kay Christian
I’ve clung to them for thirty-five years
Through every move, every closet cleaning, every job, love, birth and death
Each time I run across my old roller skates
I return to my youth
The days when I was wild and free
Unafraid
Willing enough and daring enough to explore
Have fun
Just be
I was happy – not a care in the world
Learning about myself and life
Being myself
My authentic self
The skates were magic
As long as they were with me, all was good
And once I put them on my feet
They empowered me
To be confident and free
I can still feel myself in the golden glow of dim lighting
Gliding across that old wood floor to the rhythm of Motown
Moving effortlessly, leisurely, and happily
The world around me slowly drifts away
Leaving me to fly like a bird
Alone with my heart
Feeling the peace, the oneness, and the joy
Today, I release my old skates into the Universe
Perhaps they will work their magic on someone else
I realize I have done my skates, and the Universe, a disservice
By keeping them prisoner all these years
So, I send them out into the Universe with love
And preserve the magic of my roller skates with this picture
I keep my memories with me as a reminder of who I am
Now, my old roller skates are free
I AM FREE
1/4/04
I shared the above for a couple reasons.
- To participate in the challenge.
- To share something personal about myself.
- And to suggest to anyone who struggles to let go of “memories” represented by stuff that a photo journal is a great way to let go. In addition, any kind of journal writing can be a really good friend during times of letting go.
I hope my sharing has either brought back some memories or inspired you to let go in a different way.
Alayne Kay Christian 