Dream Big

The dream of becoming a star is something a lot of people have when they are younger. Everyone starts out their career differently. The small Little Tikes radio with a microphone attached was the perfect beginners item for an up and coming star.
My room wasn't just a bedroom. Beyond the white walls, frilly comforter, and hand me down white and gold furniture, there was a stage. Maybe it was just a rug from Wal Mart, but to me it was a stage. On performance afternoons about 4 p.m. right after preschool, and on into kindergarten the auditorium was packed.
Leo the stuffed lion and his wife, along with two of the smaller stuffed lions were among the guests. Teddy was present, his vision impaired however since an earlier episode caused one eye to be lost. Some of the crew from My Little Pony would be able to make it, and the main V.I.P. guest was a small white chubby bear named Snuggles.
With everyone in place for the main event, I would begin. My small knowledge of songs would make for a few repeats. Preschool provides you with a few good ones. "This Little Light of Mine" and "God Loves All the Little Children," were big fan favorites. There were also times when my mother's christian music tapes were available for my use, and those were special surprise performances.
When i needed to take a break the music didn't stop. I was even a recording artist in my down time. I would play the tape in deck 1 and record my voice over it in deck 2. "Baby Balooga," received amazing reviews. Those stuffed animals really knew how to make me feel like a star.
It wasn't too long ago that my parents came across one of my recorded tapes. It was a very embarrassing moment. They laugh because of my few choice of songs, words, and the in between welcoming of different guests. I remember though, how important I felt. The love I had for those stuffed animals, and how important those days were to me. I loved being by myself, and singing.
Now that I am older my singing has slowed. I realized I was never going to become a multi-platinum artist. I settled for church musicals, and the choir. I do belt some tunes out in the shower, but no one is around to hear that.
I have fond memories of coming home from school and being the main entertainment. Now, I only wish life was equipped with a remote, so I could rewind back to the good parts, hit pause when I want to stay a while, and fast forward through all the bad things. I guess we all have to grow up sometime.

Outdoors

I grew up where the vehicles were covered in dust. You couldn't hear the cars on the interstate and the stars weren't voided out by the big glowing lights. I spent majority of my childhood here. For me being outside was an escape. You could hear the birds singing and smell the freshly cut grass from the lawn.
On summer break you could never find me inside the house, not because my family didn't get along but, because I could do so many other things outdoors. There were days when my mother would have to call for me in the late evenings just to get me inside.
My kid sister and I had many adventures at our secret place. We fought a turtle for my fishing pole and rode make believe horses along the bank. The green moss along the edge was the dragonflies home and the occassional baby frog. The water was a brown, not like the ocean clear and blue but, it was different and mine.
Early mornings my sister and I would look in dark, damp, and cool places to find the funniest of things, worms. We would find enough, put them in a coffee can full of dirt and fishing poles in hand and take off. We would look around the bank and look for the perfect spot. I would cast a line and wait. The sun would reflect off the water like dancing diamonds, almost a trance.
One day my red and white bobber started bouncing, I almost lost my breath. I kept watching and then it went under the water. I jerked and pulled with all my might and I had something on the end, I could feel it moving. I put up a fight for a long time, then it happened the huge fish jumped out of the water, at least at the time I thought was big. I kept pulling and reeling and then it made it to the bank. I picked it up and the colors were like I had never seen silver, green, and brown. It was perfect, but I put the fish back in the water, hoping I could catch him another day.
This place was my second home during the summer months. It is something that I will always remember, the time I fought the giant fish and lived the to tell the tale.