Keeping Time

When I was a young girl I was lucky enough to have my best friend also be my cousin. With less than three months separating us in age, Kathleen and I spent our fall and spring breaks at Grandma and Granddad's farm. In the summer we'd spend a week during the Preble County Fair. 

We ate pizza for breakfast, popsicles for lunch and cheeseburgers for dinner. 

We'd sit on the markers at the end of the driveway and wait for Mikey Dare to drive by. When we finally saw a Dare truck coming down the road, we were too shy to even wave. We'd usually jump off the concrete land marker and hide behind it. But that is a blog for another day...

Then time passed. We got involved in other things (Kathleen successfully pursued music while I attempted toe touches in a purple and gold uniform) and sadly our time at that farm in Ohio seemed less and less. 

But, before we grew up and forgot what it was like to be 10 years old, we buried a time capsule. 

After finishing a pale of ice cream (with the help of Granddad), we filled it with pieces of our young lives. The good news is I can only recall a few things that Kathleen and I put in that time capsule, which is so exciting. The opening will be even more telling of our childhood.  I know that we put popsicle wrappers and a newspaper from the weekend we were there. 

We buried the capsule right next to the milk parlor. I remember having a hard time determining the year that we would open it: either in 2033 or when we turn 33. We settled on opening it at the age of 33, since we were unsure if we would have enough memory left when we're 49-years-old in 2033. Oh, perception. 

Now, 33 seems just around the corner and I anxiously await finding that capsule again with Kathleen. 

I think I get an appreciation for those types of ideas from Momma. When she and Dad remodeled our home in the '80's, Momma left notes in the walls that they built. Notes about our family, the price of groceries and gas. Notes about life as we knew it. 

This summer I plan on burying another. It will be a summer of change for myself; time to close one chapter and blaze a glorious trail into another. At no other point in my life will things be just as they are today. 
And that is the case for everyday. 
For everyone.
Each sunrise opens new doors, new opportunities. 
Each day changes life. 
How will we remember it? 

Bowman Superior Genetics

Greens Fork, Indiana

So what should I put in a time capsule at 28? 

Current events. What is making news in the United States? What is our president doing? What are the popular television shows or musicians? 

Numbers. The price of milk, bread, gas and hairspray. 28 or 88, I will always go through hairspray more quickly than I do milk. 

Letters to myself. What makes me happy? What do I worry about? What do I look forward to? Who do I wish I knew better? Where do I want to visit? 

Art. I'd love to have Marlee and Harrison draw pictures for me so they can see their works of art years later. I'd also love for one of them to become famous so Aunt Lindsay's time capsule will pay for her funeral. 

Newspapers. Just one or two. Maybe the real estate section to see what houses sold for. Maybe the comics. 

Photos. Lots of them. Photos of my home, interior and exterior. Photos of Bowman Superior Genetics. Family photos. Photos of my vehicle. My workplace. Components of my life. 

My goals. Where do I think I'll be in 10, 25 or 45 years? Much more importantly, where do I want to be?

My boots. Just one pair. One that I can obviously live without for a few...decades. A pair with a story to tell. 

Burying a time capsule is an easy way of keeping and remembering time. 

I'm no expert, but I  recommend putting in things that don't mold or breathe. Those popsicle wrappers may be problematic in a few years and cats tend to put up a fight. 

What will you put in your time capsule?