One
of my earliest memories from my childhood was of a time when I could not stop
laughing. Every summer my family drove to my grandparent’s house in California.
It’s a three-day drive, and we have had our fair share of odd experiences
throughout these trips including horrible storms and forest fires. On one of
our return trips, a certain incident caused me to break into a fit of
unrestrained laughter.
I
was five or six years old at the time of this trip, and we were on our way back
from California. It was the second day of driving, and we began to have car
issues while driving through Arizona. It was incredibly hot and late in the day,
and we were still a fair distance from the nearest town. We ended up having to
pull off to the side of the road to see what was going on. While there, my dad
began to play with my little feet; he’d either tickle them or play the “this
little piggy went to the…” game with my toes. I couldn’t help but laugh; I was
so ticklish! This, of course, prompted everyone to try and take turns tickling
my feet. They made a game of it and I was powerless to stop them; it was great!
Overall,
I think this laughing fit had a positive effect on me and the people around me.
As a small child, it kept my focus away from the car problems and the heat of
the day. It also kept my older sister, who was also very young at the time,
entertained, as she tickled me too. For my parents, it kept them in a good mood
and the kids out of their way. It’s easy to lose your calm when experiencing
car troubles, but thankfully that wasn’t an issue here. Ultimately, we were
able to fix the problem and continue on our way.
It is funny to me that you were 5 or 6 and still remember this incident. I think its a cool thing that some things just stick in our memory no matter what, even at such a young age. This story in general made me laugh because every time someone tickles me, I don't find it funny. I actually end up kicking the person in the face… or something severe.
ReplyDeleteI think this is an awesome story because it is so true that laughing can turn a bad day around and make things better. I love how laughing can make such a difference in moods, even when something really irritating is going on like in your story. Thanks for sharing!
I love the laughter of children and I can imagine what the car sounded like with you and your family in the car. My feet are not ticklish at all, but my sides are. When I was probably 6 my parents did the same thing. They loved to tickle me and I loved to be tickled. Car trips are hard to stay entertained on and I hope someday when I have kids that I can spend time with them on such trips like you did. I hope, also, that they want to spend time with me instead of just watching movies the entire way. I dream of laughing with my kids as you have explained in your story.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a fun road trip and an especially fun family! For me as well, my most fond memories and moments of unrestrained laughter come from times spend with my family throughout my childhood. There is nothing like the freedoms of being a child and the ease it takes to make a child laugh. Our parents are definitely the main reasons for that, filling childhood with smiles and laughter! What a great memory to look back on!
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