This past summer I took a second job to make some extra money – nothing glamorous or spectacular, just a second paycheck; Lord knows we needed it. The point however, isn’t the job, the money, or anything related to work. No, the point in all honesty, is strawberry soda. Well, not strawberry soda per se, just fruit soda in general.
The strong emotions and memories I associated with this genre of beverages more than anything brought me to this essay, those and my summer job where one of my coworkers just happened to be drinking one those said beverages every morning as part of his daily ritual performing the same glamor free, unspectacular job that brings in a second paycheck. Turned out he needed money too.
The feeling of nostalgia, the longing for my simple childhood breaks free on occasion and while this emotion rampages through my psyche the outcome is at best a 50/50 proposition – 50 percent of the time I succumb to a powerful bout of anxiety and depression, while the other 50 percent of the time my unchecked emotions fill me with incredible happiness and warmth. On that particular day, anxiety and depression took the day off.
As my coworker drank his fruit-inspired beverage, that day it was strawberry, I was transported back to a comfortable, summer afternoon; just me, my Nintendo Entertainment System, and my own fruit-inspired beverage; in my case, orange. Personally, I have always preferred black cherry to all other flavors, but on that particular day orange was what we had in the house, so I made it work.
The day was almost perfect. The window next to the entertainment center was open allowing a pleasant, earthy breeze to brush past me as I played through the original Legend of Zelda game for what felt like the 15th time. The orange soda was cold but no condensation had formed on the can. I said almost perfect because the chair I was seated in was an archaic, folding contraption of steel tubes and vinyl over all too thin padding. Constructed at some point in the late 60s to early 70s, it was originally part of a card table set of my grandparents. Though it was called a chair, it was more of a torture device as it caused whatever part of your ass you elected to sit on to become numb in very short order. Regardless, numb asses seemed a fair trade for access to the king of home entertainment and an orange soda at perfect temperature.
As I explored the length, breadth, and depth of Hyrule dispatching countless hordes of enemies, it seemed my world couldn’t be more ideal – cold drink, numb ass, NES – an equilibrium I have tried to recreate at every opportunity. There was a sense that time could not, no, would not touch me nor claim to have any meaning. On some level I felt as though I was in another dimension or plane of existence. I felt as though that afternoon would go on forever, the breeze fresh and soothing, whispering, “there is only now, tomorrow is but a dream.”
Even now I long to relive those moments in my life where this extra dimensional space outside of time exists. These points seem so plentiful when we are young, so magical, yet rare are the occasions when we are aware, present enough to take advantage of those pockets of serenity.
I am fortunate in my life to have had many opportunities to enjoy these moments when they’ve presented themselves, though over the past three years they have tapered off. I seize upon them when I can, enjoy them when they occur, and hope I get the opportunity to do so again, sooner rather than later. I just need to remember to grab my favorite fruit inspired beverage.
Regards,
John
Uncommon Karma 