Friday's Babble || Memories

Memories

I broke my nose when I was five. I remember running as fast as I could toward my parent's living room couch, staring at the faded green plaid. I wanted to jump onto the soft, buoyant fabric and feel it catch me. But, what I didn't realize, was that I was running right toward the middle section of the couch: the section that contained the wooden cup holder.

I ran straight into the wooden center and immediately felt my nose get hot-- it also, somehow, felt like it was too big to fit on my face. My mom found me a few seconds later. I was on the ground, holding my nose, crying. I did not want to let go of my nose because, as a child, my knee-jerk reaction was to hide an injury from sight in the hopes that it would just disappear. This was not a successful tactic.

Looking back, I am surprised that I wasn't bleeding. My mom took me to the doctor, muttering something about brain damage, while I happily hid my nose behind my hand, ignoring it out of existence. When we got to the ER, I felt like a tiny soldier marching into enemy territory: the tiny tike versus the White Coats. If I had known Tennyson then, I would have been chanting "Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of hell" as I walked into the x-ray room. (For more of "The Charge of the Light Brigade," go here.) All of those awful White Coats needed me to remove my hand to see my nose! How rude.

Surprise! I broke my nose. I had to go to kindergarten with a giant scab in the middle of my face for what felt like months. Even today, 15 years later, I have a lump on my nose where it never healed correctly. 

I kissed a dolphin when I was 15. I was on a cruise with my family, somewhere in the Bahamas. My grandfather and I took a charter boat over to Blue Lagoon Island, which is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. My grandfather watched from a platform while I got in the water with 2 dolphins and got to interact with them. I wish he could have gotten in the water with me, but we purchased the wrong kind of tickets. 

So, I got in the water and fed the dolphins sardines, pet them, got spit on, and kissed them! Then, I did something really memorable: the dolphin trainers explained how to lie to get the dolphins to press their snots into the bottoms of our feet (1 dolphin for each foot) and to let them propel us through the water. It was an amazing experience, but looking back on it, I wonder if the animals were being treated fairly. 

From Blue Lagoon's website, here is a description of the encounter: "On the Dolphin Encounter float, you will stand on a waist-deep submerged platform and experience a heart-warming kiss, a hug, a dance and opportunities to rub down the dolphin. Your dolphin trainer will combine elements of hands-on contact, education, fun, laughter, and adventure to make this an unforgettable experience. While you enjoy your Dolphin Encounter and learn about the dolphin habitat, you will also be in the midst of one of the finest natural attractions in the Bahamas." 

These are two of the most memorable things that happened to me in the first 15 years of my life. I look forward to making memories in the future, that I will eventually share with friends at Coal Tipple Brewery, one of the best places to tell stories with friends.