Escapees May June 2015 Demo

Different V iewpoints

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Different Viewpoints RVers’ Opinions and Advice from the Road

• Opinions contained in “Different Viewpoints” are not necessarily those of the Escapees RV Club, its officers or the membership in general. Escapees RV Club accepts no responsibility for what is expressed here by any person, group or company. • Because of the large volume of material, we may not acknowledge receipt of material. Submissions that are sent by e-mail can be directed to departmentseditor@escapees.com. If accepted, submissions will be edited for magazine style and formatting.

• The word “please.” It was called the magic word. Please could get you a lot of things; just ask my kids. Or maybe you shouldn’t, since I may have been a little too hard on them sometimes. But when I do hear that word coming from a child, I am reminded of those requests that were followed by a “peeze.” And I am reminded of those beautiful days when my children were young. • Laughter. Oh, how I remember and love laughter. My dad had a wonderful smile and laugh. I see that smile and hear that laugh in my children. My husband has a ringtone for our grandson, Ryan, set on his phone that is a young child’s laughter. It sounds like Ryan’s baby laugh- ter. I wish he would call more often so we could hear it. • An expression. I remember the expression my father had when someone, probably me, did something bad. The expression was worse than punishment. Disappointment registered immediately and you wished you could crawl under a rock and hide. I don’t remember any punishment I ever received, but I do remember that “look.” If this little story has piqued your memory in any way, you’ll find that memories are great to have, and remember- ing them is even better. Carol Hopkins #89703 Continued ›››

Plowing Up Memories Some would say that remembering is the same thing as memories. Well, at least I still remember that I have memories—memories of things distant and not so distant in the past. You know those things that plow up memories? Things like a smell, a word, a laugh or an expression? Do you write things down so you will be able to remember them? I do. I used to be able to write my grocery list and even if I forgot it and left it on the table at home, I would remember almost everything on the list, everything except the one thing I needed to make that special dish for dinner. Then you make the decision to cook something else and make the first dish the next night. Except the next day you can’t remember that you were going to stop at the grocery and pick up that one thing you needed, let alone the fact you were going to make that dish tonight. And so the remem- bering thing is a moot point. I find it is better to have the ingredients of several items on hand so I don’t find myself in that situation. Back to those plowed-up things I mentioned earlier. See, I remembered to remember them. • Smells. A smell can sometimes smack you in the nasal passages of time. I remember the smell of rice with

raisins cooking as I came down the stairs in the morning before school. It is a “comfort” smell today. Then there is the smell of the lilacs that bloomed every spring in the yard on the farm where I grew up. Oh, and now when I mention the farm—you know those smells that waft through the windows as you drive through the country? Well, some of those memories are not so good. But I can tell you the difference between cow smell and pig smell. That is a talent I can sure be proud of remembering.

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