or School Supply Envy
Long ago and far, far away when I was in first grade, I got my first set of school supplies. Among them was a new yellow and green box of 8 Crayolas, and I loved them. In second grade I got another new box of crayons. This time the box came with 16 colors and new possibilities. However, my excitement waned when I saw that some of my classmates had something more. They had boxes with 32 and 64 crayons in them and I was envious--especially of the box of sixty-four because it had a sharpener on the back. My classmates got to color with sharpened, exotic colors while I colored with dull, plain colors. It didn't seem fair, but I suffered in silence because I knew that my mother had gotten me what was on the list. Every year was the same. I got what was on the list and some kids got the big box with the sharpener. And every year, I was envious.
Time marched on, and I survived. However, the desire for that big box of 64 crayons never left me. I just forgot about it. Thirty years later, as I was starting to buy school supplies for my own kids, I playfully told my mother about my disappointment with my "little" box of crayons. She said she never knew and surprised me by sending a box in the mail.
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| Doodles from my crayons |
Note:
--You may be wondering if I bought big boxes of crayons for my kids. Nope, I bought them just what was on the list.
--You may also be wondering if I color much these days. It goes in cycles, but every time I get them out, I get the same thrill.
When I saw the picture at the top of the page, before I read the words, I thought "OOOOOOHHHHH.... a new box of 64 crayons... with the sharpener...."
ReplyDeleteSome things never leave you. It's the excitement of the first day of school - the thrill of a blank page - the endless possibilities. All wrapped up in 64 colors.
Midnight Blue was my favorite color, followed by Brick Red.
I like the way you describe all that the box of 64 crayons represents including the endless possibilities. I found it interesting that my son said he didn't like the big box of crayons because there were too many choices. I guess we're all different.
DeleteI also love to color.I took some greeting card/rubber stamping classes and that fulfills my coloring urges! I also love coloring with markers and colored pencils... and I get to make cards for all occasions and over all save money. It's a fun hobby! What a great box of crayons!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI also like to mix markers and colored pencils with crayons because they provide different color intensities and textures to things.
DeleteOMG - I have almost the same exact story! I was home from college on summer vacation visiting my Dad. We went to a drugstore because I needed to pick up a prescription and they had a back to school display of crayons with the beautiful 64 color packs... the ones my mother would never allow me to have when I was a kid (my parents divorced when I was 4 and I was raised by my mom.) I made some comment to my Dad about how envious I was of the other kids and all of their extra colors.
ReplyDeleteA few weeks later when I got back to school a package arrived in the mail from my dad. My first thought was that he'd mixed up the birthdays, because my brother's birthday is in September. But I opened it up and it was a box of 64 crayons along with a very sweet note from my Dad - probably the sweetest thing he ever did for me. That was over 20 years ago and I still have them. They are one of my most prized possessions.
I totally LOVE your crayon art BTW!
I wonder how many of us there are out there that lusted for a box of 64 crayons?
DeleteI must confess that when I saw the big box of 64 crayons all my childhood memories started to take. me back to a happy place. In my school if you owned the big box you were the boss. What joy when my mother gave me the big 64 box. I will never forget how special I felt to receive them. Now days as a school counselor I see my students faces light up the same way when I present these crayons and a blank sheet of paper and tell them they can draw anything that they want to draw. Some pleasures are priceless.
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing like new crayons and how nice you give kids that pleasure these days.
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