Childhood reflections

The rain pounds against the windows, the chill in the air hasn't subsided in quite a few days.  The outside elements have perhaps put a damper on lots of people's spirits.  I can't get into watching the Olympics, which is neither here not there. I don't watch American Idol. Conclusion: My current pop culture awareness is pretty low.

However, today came the news that an actor named Andrew Koenig from the 80's/90's hit show "Growing Pains" had taken his own life after a long battle with depression. This has bummed me out inexplicably. Koneig played "Boner", Mike's friend. The actor who portrayed Mike, heart-throb Kirk Cameron, made a plea to Koenig the other day: "Call me. Mike and Boner can get through anything".

The tragedy of losing this young actor is sad, but it's also a reminder that I am old. The shows I grew up watching (Growing Pains, Who's the Boss, Webster, Perfect Strangers, The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Facts of Life, Different Strokes, and if I "really* think back, Eight is Enough and Little House on the Prairie) were integral parts of my growing up. I rode my bike in my neighborhood and sometimes made it up to Mountain Road. I played in the woods and made forts. I had a friend who lived on the end of Mountain Rd. towards Winn Street that I visited a lot.  My childhood was very simple, and very sheltered in a good way.  I was smart grade-wise, not very comfortable or smart socially (the brown skin and lack of coordination did not help), and for many years got along with pretty much everyone. I still remember completely freaking out when walking into Kim MacDonald's backyard and getting covered by caterpillars that were falling off their trees and running home screaming. But, we also had good times in the clubhouse in Mary Ellen's back yard, and exploring the woods.

Life seemed pretty darn simple. Now, the shows my kids watch are mostly reality-based (18 Kids and Counting, Deliver Me) or insipid Disney shows like "The Suite Life of Zach and Cody: On Deck".  The kids don't get the same kinds of opportunities for outside play. The world is not as safe as we thought it was 20 or 25 years ago and kids can't stay out till the streetlights come on. My kids love to hear stories about my childhood (which wasn't quite as idyllic as this post makes it sound).

I loved my TV shows, and on Friday nights, I would escape to watch my favorite shows, armed with a bowl of Heavenly Hash ice cream with a broken up Kit-Kat on top. (No, not very healthy, I know.)  Shows like Growing Pains, watching the banter between Mike and Boner, seeing important issues covered like drunk driving when Carol's boyfriend died, they all shaped who it was I became.  There were no iPods or handheld DS games. We were lucky if we had video console systems, and I remember being thrilled to go to Anjali's house to play Frogger on her Atari a zillion times. I remember watching "The Breakfast Club" and "Dirty Dancing" on our new VCR. Every Sunday, I would take my battery-powered radio up to the top of my back-yard, swing on the swing-set, and listen to Casey Kasem's "American Top 40".

The untimely death of Koenig (aka "Boner") makes me remember how important I considered that show, and all the pieces of pop culture, while growing up in a white-bread suburb like Burlington.  However, I still hold onto small pieces of it. On my iPod, I have Belinda Carlisle and Bon Jovi-- a hair band and a former Go-Go. What could be more 80's than that?

Finally... a real vacation

The kids and I packed *many* bags of stuff and loaded the mini-van with said bags, movies for the DVD player, snacks, assorted Build-a-Bears and other stuffed animals, the iPod, left the cats in the trusted and good care of our wonderful neighbors, and escaped to the Berkshires for the weekend.  Despite the fact I have lived in Eastern Massachusetts my entire life, I had never spent any real time in the Berkshires and I now know I was missing a lot.

Despite the challenges autism can present, my Boy ended up having a fantastic time and the Girls each had a friend to themselves for 3 days straight.  They were in Heaven.  I so enjoyed spending time with my friend. (Her husband mixed some great adult-drinks after the kids went to sleep every night. He also is an avid outdoorsy-person and tired the kids out playing in the snow). My girlfriend and I hung out, we talked, we outlet-shopped in Lee (loving my new pink Coach bag and keychain, which cost nothing after using my Christmas Visa gift card and my Verizon Fios Visa gift card), ate Mexican food in a hole in the wall place, and admired the signs for the Canyon Ranch and Tanglewood. We also saw breath-takingly gorgeous scenery. Specifically, on the drive home, we elected to take the "long" way, a bunch of country roads to Route 2. Well, when you are that far out West, Route 2 is a country road for a long ways, too :-)

Driving through these quaint small New England towns, seeing ice-covered rocks and currents in the winding rivers which followed the roads, admiring the snow-covered mountains,  the icicles which hung off the sides of the roads, the farms and the animals, going over the bridges, glimpsing at all the cute houses... it was lovely.  It felt like we were  in the middle of Colorado or the Northern White Mountains in NH-- very much in the "middle of nowhere".  I loved every second of it.  Had some weird flashbacks on Route 2 past 91, driving through towns which were eerily familiar, BUT the kids were actually enjoying the scenery.  I produced kids who can like long car trips. Wow.

We don't have the money to go on real vacations. Storyland for a day, or two, have been the biggest treats for my munchkins since 2005.  Besides gas and some groceries, I didn't really *have* to spend money on anything since we were staying with friends.  Their family vacation home was amazing, and had a hot tub to boot. The kids loved that, although you couldn't have paid me $1 million to put a swimsuit on and go in. Sometimes, it's just more relaxing than anything to hang out with friends.  Friendships between the kids were formed and solidified, my friend and mine's girl-bonding time was fun, and we even had a very sweet dog to keep us all company.

Relaxing and getting away from it *all* is a good thing. The only downside is that I couldn't bring my skis since my new Craigslist-procured Thule rack has no way to get attached to my new mini-van without the help of one or two tall adults with experience with this sort of thing.  There is a small place to go skiing there , which would have been fun to ski with at least two of the kids.  It is small, but has quite a few trails, and is relatively inexpensive.

Back to the daily grind... three team meetings with clients this week to prepare for and lots of loads of laundry to do. But, I have great memories from this vacation week (including being put in a VIP suite at Disney on Ice at the Boston Garden, which is about the only perk of autism I have found; a very brief glimpse into how the "other half" live). The most important memory is all the precious time with my family.  I am truly blessed.

Hope your week was as lovely as ours!