Memories That Stick With You

I look down at my water bottle and realize it’s a road map of all the places I’ve traveled. That’s because I’ve made a tradition of collecting a single sticker from any place I visit. 

• There’s the Lake Arrowhead sticker from when I first learned to ski. Looking at it, I can remember my instructor’s voice yelling at me to “make a pizza” with my skis as I went down my first slope.
• There’s the sticker from Estes Park, Colorado that says “Happy Camper.” The irony of this sticker is that this was the one place on our 3-week road trip where we didn’t camp. 
• There’s the bison sticker from Yellowstone. Out of all the options, I chose a bison as a reminder of how many times we were stopped on the road by the bison crossing.
• There’s the sticker from Bandon Oregon, the place where we used to visit every year. We went so much that my cousins and I could walk anywhere and never get lost. We knew the ins and outs of that whole town and campsite. 
• There’s the sticker from Mount Rushmore where we stared up at the four faces while lightning flashed and thunder boomed. You could tell we were from California as while everyone ran for cover, we stayed put in the rain.
• There’s a sticker from Old Faithful where I watched my mother fight through the crowd just to get a front-row view of the geyser and where my nostrils died from the hours spent surrounded by the horrendous stench of the geysers.

As I reflect on all the stickers and the places I’ve been, I realize it’s more than just a roadmap. These stickers are symbols of the memories I’ve made.

Becky’s Fortunate, But Not So Fortunate Performance

Fortunately, Becky was selected to be the soloist in the school’s choir concert. Unfortunately, she was super nervous. Fortunately, she was determined to overcome her fears so she practiced overnight. Unfortunately, she woke up on the day of the concert with a sore throat. Fortunately, she was able to google the recipe for a medicinal tea that would soothe her throat. Unfortunately, she had an allergic reaction to one of the ingredients and broke out in hives. Fortunately, she found some calamine lotion in her bathroom to alleviate the irritation. Unfortunately, it turned her skin green. Fortunately, she covered it with concealer. Unfortunately, the concealer rubbed off onto her dress. Fortunately, she caught it and was able to clean it in time. Unfortunately, it left a wet stain on the dress. Fortunately, it dried before it was time for her to sing. Unfortunately, she tripped on her way out to the stage. Fortunately, she was able to pick herself up and continue. Unfortunately, the mic was too high up. Fortunately, she knew how to fix it and brought the mic level with her mouth. Unfortunately, the speakers won’t work. Fortunately, she had a loud enough voice. Unfortunately, it strained her voice even more and made it crack. Fortunately, she was able to finish the rest of her song. Unfortunately, she was left with no voice. Fortunately, she still got a round of applause.

Friendships Come From Anywhere

There once was a little girl named Denise who moved to a new school mid-year. When she showed up to the classroom on her first day, everyone noticed her unkempt hair, mismatched socks, dirty fingernails, and bossy mannerisms. Stacy, the popular girl in the class, immediately made a face of disgust when the teacher announced that Denise would be sitting next to her. At recess, Denise marched over to the handball court and instantly tried to take over the game. At lunch, Denise pushed her way to the front of the cafeteria line and ignored the kids’ protest behind her. This continued for weeks, until the fateful day when Denise and Stacy partnered up for a project. Stacy tried to protest the partnership, but there was no change. Over the next week, the two girls worked side by side and Stacy realized that underneath that messy, tough exterior was actually a kind-hearted and fun-loving girl. Stacy realized that she was wrong about Denise because she had judged her by what she looked like. The two girls had more in common than they thought and a friendship came to life. Once Stacy brought Denise into her group of friends and began to defend her when others judged her, Denise’s hard exterior began to soften. Stacy’s loyalty to Denise continued the rest of the year and the two became really close friends. 

The Dog Who Lived

“Parvo? Are you sure?”

“Yes, we tested her twice. It’s definitely parvo”

“Is it deadly?”

“Yes, it’s COVID for dogs and if not treated, she will die.”

“Oh okay, so what’s the treatment?”

“Well she needs an IV of liquids, 24/7 care, and antibiotics”

“Woah, how much is that going to cost?”

“Thousands of dollars.”

“But I just adopted her three days ago, I can’t afford that”

“Well, then you need to call the adoption agency and see if they can help you. For now, she can’t stay here because she’ll infect the other animals. You have to go somewhere else”

“Where?”

“I suggest you take her to All Care.”

“Okay, where’s that?”

“Go out of the parking lot, make a right, and follow the road for two miles. It will be on your left-hand side.”

“Thank you so much, we’ll see what we can do”

“I’m so sorry this is happening to you.”

“So am I”

The dog was able to get the treatment she needed with all costs being covered by the adoption agency. She went on to live a happy and healthy life.

Persistence Pays

When I was a kid, I wanted nothing more than to have a cat. Despite all of my pleas, my mom and dad always said no. Then one day, while my dad was working on his car, he asked my mom, my sister, and I to come out front. 

“Shhhh,” he said as we approached the driveway. “Listen carefully and tell me what you hear.”

At first, we couldn’t hear anything. But then my mom, my sister, and I could hear the faint meowing nearby. We wandered around the driveway looking for the source of the sound, until we came close to the big tree by the sidewalk. 

In between the two large tree trunks, was a cavity. When we looked deep down inside the cavity, we spotted four tiny kittens. The entrance to the space was small and the kittens were too far below the entrance to reach. Thankfully, my younger sister had a butterfly net with a pole long enough that allow us to scoop up the baby kittens one at a time. There were two tabby cats, one black, and one gray. They were completely covered in fleas and did not look well.

We placed all four in a box with a blanket to keep them warm and drove them to the vet to get them checked out. Two hundred dollars later, we returned home with four kittens that had to be bottle-fed, given medicine, and flea combed. 

The next day, my mom posted to Facebook that we had four kittens looking for good homes. My sister and I kept pleading to keep one, but my father was insistent that, “No we cannot keep them.” After three had been adopted, and only the gray haired runt with a goopy eye remained. My dad finally agreed to let us keep her. Her name became Winnie, after a bear who lived in a tree.