by M Sinclair Stevens. October 23, 2003.
Everytime I passed the store window, my 5-year-old self paused wistfully, staring at the rhinestone tiaras and the black velvet slippers with glass beads. Part of me remembers getting the tiara and slippers; part of me remembers longing and disappointment.
The one thing I know I never wore were long gloves. So elegant. So adult. So 50s. So debutante. They were the trappings of a life I'd never know, which now holds no meaning or charm.
How many things did we want when we were five, when we were inventing our ideas of the world, that we can happily say at fifty, I'm just as happy without them?
Comments
I remember thinking at a very young age that I wanted a roll-top desk, an hour glass, and a beautiful large globe in my home library. I own none of these things, as they don't fit into my home or life...nor do I long for them.
I also knew by age 3 or 4 that I wanted horses in my life--a desire that is never a disappointment when I've actually had the opportunity to own them or just be around them. It's a passion that is never fleeting.
Here I am at 37, still daydreaming about what I will be when I grow up. I'm sure I can work the tiara and long gloves in somehow. :-)