Daily Prompt: Only Sixteen
Tell us all about the person you were when you were sixteen. If you haven’t yet hit sixteen, tell us about the person you want to be at sixteen.
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As my 16th birthday approached I had a secret. It was mine and mine alone. I didn’t share it with my best friend or my sister – my two closest confidants. My secret was one of passage, ‘the first kiss’ and it happened only weeks before my 16th birthday. I would celebrate that birthday with a quiet smile as uncles and aunts teased me about being “sweet 16 and never been kissed”.
Other than having crossed the threshold of the first kiss, I was innocent and very ignorant of what it meant to be ‘in love’, something which my teenaged heart and mind daydreamed about night and day, along with my girlfriends.
Television, unfortunately, was my source for learning about relationships, especially about love and marriage since my parent’s relationship was frigid; there was nothing to learn from them other than how to live together in cold silence. This was unfortunate because life and love in movies or television was nowhere near accurately portrayed and a sorry substitute for learning affection.
My after-school job was being the desk clerk at my family’s music school three nights a week, this would be my second year earning money to afford sewing materials and patterns to make my own school clothes. After a bitter disagreement with my mother about fashion, when we shopped for clothes my freshman year, she gave up on me, told me I could make my own clothes from then on and that is what I did. It turned out to be a good thing too. Learning to sew allowed me to make extra-special Halloween costumes for my children, later in life. I also sewed my own homecoming, prom and wedding gowns.
Typically, by nature, I am lamb-like, very accommodating and non-argumentative except in the case of my high school wardrobe. I confess, I became teen-zilla. I think that was and still is the norm for teen girls, especially, in my case, after eight years of wearing a uniform at a Catholic school. In high school, I could “wear” my identity through my outfits and make-up.
One of the most special gifts of my life was given to me on my 16th birthday, a silver charm bracelet. Forty-four years later, I still have that charm bracelet and each charm sparks memories of milestones in my life. I so much prefer the old-style charm bracelets rather than the newer Pandora® style bracelets, to my mind, more individuality is achieved in the older style bracelets.
This September, I will be celebrating my 16th birthday again, well, kind of, in a special way… I’ll be 61, which, transposed is 16. Might it be possible to ‘transpose’ that first kiss from so many years ago and re-live the excitement once again?
I dunno, but, trying will certainly be fun!
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I’m impressed you remember so much. I don’t remember anything from back then!!
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I can actually remember back to events when I was three years old too! Of course these memories are all emotionally rooted to something or someone, I think that makes it easier. 🙂
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Very Nice!
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Thank you so much! 😀
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You are very welcome. Thanks for sharing 🙂
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Happy celebrating your 16th B-Day again :))
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😀
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hehehe 🙂 fun to read.. loved the last paragraph.
May Allah bless you and your loved ones.. ameen
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Blessings to you too! 🙂
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🙂 (Y)
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I like reading these. This is one of my favorite prompts. Have a great day 🙂
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I LOVE this post 🙂
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You have beautifully expressed yourself, oh as for your 61st err 16th birthday, no need to worry the excitement is still there!
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WoW! I cannot believe you and I are so close in age (I’ll be 60 in December). Perhaps that has something to do with why we see the current “awareness” of breast cancer in the same way. I have know my diagnosis for 6 weeks but have not told any of my friends because I think all the exposure has diminished the reality of what it means to have cancer. I just know that a pink ribbon isn’t going to cure it. Again, let me thank you for blogging. I am that last person who thought she would be reading a blog, let alone appreciating one.
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Thank you Monica, for taking the time to leave your thoughts. More often than not, great ideas and opinions are expressed in the “comments” sections of blogs.
I wish you the best of health and support as you start your fight with this disease. If I can help in any way, let me know!
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