6/30: Visiting a childhood I don't remember

Location: Princeton, New Jersey

Well, some of you may know this and others not. Before we moved back to Texas when I was 10, we spent almost 3 years living in Princeton, New Jersey. (Evidence for some for why I have no Texas accent).
I had not been back to this community since I was 10 years old. Some neighbor-friends picked me up from the train station (I had to ask someone if this was the right stop, so unfamiliar). The entire drive home until we turned on our street and I saw my old elementary school, we might as well have been any here, I had no idea.

By the next day though getting to go downtown and seeing the old Palmer’s square area, I did get to recognizing some pretty key areas. Most of the shops where I remember my family shopping have since been closed as more upscale and designer shops have moved in. The demographics of the place look about the same, much more diverse than where I come from now. It is still an ivy-league college town though it doesn’t seem to have a large student presence.

Another funny connection here, the church I went to in Princeton has strong ties with Shane and the simple way! The family I had ice cream with in the afternoon talked about seeing him and loving what his group does.

On another thought, having seen 3 of my friends from that era of my life (hadn’t seen any up to this point) within the past 48 hours, I’ve had several people tell me I’m just the same. And I do feel like most of the people I’ve seen have retained a lot of their personalities and qualities over that time period as well, not just physically but basically acting not too far from how they did in the past. I was lacking self-awareness at age 10 though, I wonder, was I obnoxious? Energetic? Interesting to think I haven’t changed.

I ventured over to my old home and got a look at my old house. The decorating looks similar in some places, my mom’s apple wallpaper. My friend and I had placed a time capsule in the closet of my house. We included lots of funny little items—a coin, a lock of my hair, some little toy, a math quiz. I also had a sheet all about my likes and dislikes. I liked (at age 7): my dog, reading…..disliked: hurting my dog(hmm), getting in fights with people (still my least favorite thing now!). There were some pretty funny spelling mistakes: favorite food: articokes. Favorite outfit: Sweat shits and turtle neaks. It was a fun discovery.

I really wonder what my life would have been like had we stayed. I grew up on a busy corner with a bus stop that went directly to NYC. The rest of downtown was walk-able from our home as well. On the other side of my house was the Princeton Jewish community center and synagogue. Since then I’ve lived in an isolated suburb and have had maybe 1-2 Jewish friends. Would I be a Christian? I certainly would’ve had a more culturally and religiously diverse group of friends.

Wasn’t meant to be obviously, as I’ve said to many people these past few days, Texas is home, it always feels that way. And it feels good.