You ever have one of those innocent memories from childhood just come at you? I have those from time to time and I guess it's okay because it makes me think back to a simpler time in my life. I used to watch quite a bit of PBS which is a good explanation for my education. My favorite show was the classic Sesame Street. Watching sesame street was like watching my imaginary friends come to life to teach me lessons. I loved Big Bird because he was like that sensitive friend that is always there to listen and give a word of encouragement. I remember I would also watch spanish Sesame Street and I loved that feeling of being able to have fun by myself. I grew up a fairly lonely kid since my siblings were older and I did not really have a ton of friends. I was a bit of a gregarious little oddball of a person.
One thing that I used to do for therapeutic purposes was play with string. I loved string because I learned I could shape it into anything I wanted. I learned in Sesame Street that, while string was normally a straight line, my imagination could shape into anything. I was fascinated with the idea of a puppet shaping string and making it into something cool. Every day after I got home from school I would find string and turn it into an abject.
I recall I had planes, cars, hand turkeys, and even dogs made from string. All of these creations were silhouettes on a table but to a lonely boy like me they were something else. To me string was a silent companion that amused me with its bendable nature. Anytime I see string I smile because it takes me to a time when being lonely did not feel like falling through an endless opening at the bottom of the deepest ocean. Sometimes the greatest comfort lies in the most unexpected objects.
