This is me at nine years old dressed up as an I-don't-know-what and walking in a little parade. My family had taken a trip to a scout camp in Philmont, New Mexico and each child was assigned to our age group where we spent the day with camp leaders who took us on hikes, told us camp stories and tried to distract us by making us dress up in giant pink flowers and walk around the camp while our parents clapped and told us we were beautiful.
For this trip, we borrowed an RV and we drove all the way down to New Mexico in style. My favorite part was riding in the loft right above the driver's seat in the RV and seeing the road stretch out in front of me. I felt like I was flying. I never tired of staring out at the scenery in front of me and watching the summer fields or metropolitan cities that rolled by.
If I could tell myself anything at this age, I think I would say "Hold on tight, honey. The journey is just beginning. " I had a lot of joy, pain and bumps in the road to encounter and I wish I could have given myself a stock of courage for those bumps that would bruise the most and linger.
And next I would have said, "Never wear those pink flowers again."
At least I would have my best interests at heart.
7 comments:
you look very cute!
Oh Eden! What a sweetheart you were and are. Grandmother would have loved the pink flowers!!
Would this have been ca. 1985? We went that year, too. Was your group called the Muchachas (or however that's actually spelled)? I mostly remember the prayer ("For food, for raiment..."), and the heat.
I like the pink flowers! One of my favorite lines in a song is: "There I am in younger days, stargazing, painting picture perfect maps of how my life and love would be. Not counting the unmarked paths of misdirection, my compass, faith in loves perfection. I missed ten million miles of road I should have seen." Isn't it amazing how life emerges and it isn't how I pictured it as a youth.
Lori--thanks!
Aunt MJ--Grandmother would have loved the flowers.
LHQE--I remember the heat too. I wrote a whole paragraph about it but cut it out. It was SO HOT there--especially in July.
Flying Monkey--Love the song! You know one of the things I miss the most with you is singing--especially all those camp songs you taught me.
This picture is priceless. I love it! You look so cute and I love that smile : )
Kristin--You are definitely a sweetheart.
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