Sunday, February 13, 2005

Better than homemade cookies

I just had the greatest warm and cozy feeling.  The experience reminded me of the very bestest part of childhood.

It wasn't comfort food.

It wasn't photographs.

It was a copy of my (now out-of-print) favorite children's book.  Called "Peppermint."  About a little white kitten in a candy shop who... oh never mind, it isn't important.  The point is, I snagged a copy off ebay and was ever so happy to sit down and read it.  (A process that took all of, what? three minutes.)  It had been my absolute favorite when I was kid.  I always wanted mom to read it to me.  And she wouldn't read it all the time -- I think maybe she was afraid I'd want a kitten if I read it too much -- so it was my special occasion favorite book.  I also remember reading it to a little girl I babysat for when I was a bit older.  And then it disappeared off my radar and I haven't thought about it for a solid twenty years.

And now I have it again, and the familiar story and the familiar drawings are so comforting in a reconnecting-with-my-past sort of way.  Amazing what a little memory-trigger can do.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

very, very sweet entry.  I love the reminiscent ones most of all.  I'm not surprised that a story about a cat would be your favorite.  That is you.  :-)