Dear Mom,
It’s MAR10 day! What is MAR10 Day you may be asking? (Who am I kidding? You’re most likely flashing WTF at all of my relatives). Well, it stands for Mario Day! As in Mario from Super Mario Bros. the video game! (or my typing game – Mario Teaches Typing – which is what you might be more familiar with!) I loved playing that game on your computer. Little did I know that you were just teaching me how to navigate a computer so that I can help you with some of your data entry assignments you had as building manager but I didn’t mind, because it was a game and I loved it. And I loved helping you!
I often wonder how you would navigate this modern world of ours. We have always been a family that followed the growth of technology, and while I don’t know who inspired who, I do know that you encouraged us to pursue whatever we loved – especially if you benefited from it. What better way to make sure you’re not hassled in a Circuit City than to make sure your kids are all tech savvy? I wish I had been a bit more inspired to pursue my passions as it feels a bit wasteful to have learned so much from you just to not put it into practice, but I am slowly coming to terms with my reality. I did what I could with the circumstances I was in at the time and so I don’t blame myself for not having made much of an impact in life.
Anyway, back to the purpose of mentioning MAR10 Day to you!
As you may have noticed, I have become a bit of a gamer. Not that it would be a surprise to you since you happily bought me my first Playstation, and proceeded to allow me any games you approved of (with my brother’s help, of course!). I have a wide collection, and while I suck at actively playing my games, I do cherish each franchise I follow and often refer to the memories of my childhood. And there is one such memory that I recount fondly (and often!) that I feel represents today and my relationship with you – wholeheartedly!
I imagine recounting a happy memory would certainly brighten this blog up some!
I wish I could remember exactly what day this was, however I do recall that it was Christmas time. One week in the hospital roughly two years ago nearly drove me insane so I do not know how I managed to survive three long, lonely months in quarantine at Memorial Sloan Kettering. The medication may have helped shorten those days and the nurses… those nurses were godsend to a child who couldn’t interact with the world. I was a shy kid, and did my best not to disturb them but they never made me feel like a burden and I deeply appreciate every one of them (even though it has been so long now that I can’t remember their names or their faces). They always snuck me extra treats (the ones I was medically cleared to eat of course), and checked on me often. It’s impossible to look back at my time in MSK and not smile – even though I was suffering through shingles and whatever else that kept me there for so damn long.
I want to say that a volunteer gave me the little christmas bag that had a brand spanking new gameboy advance system in it with two games, but since I was in quarantine, maybe I’m misremembering the lady. Whoever she was came with a flourish and excitement for me and the other kids on my floor. Packaged neatly in the bag was a red gameboy and super mario bros, and (I think) tetris. You watched me happily open my gift and delight in it so much, but boy did we laugh when you pulled out the Christmas gift you brought me that very same day!
My favorite color has always been blue, so that was the color you had given me. I think you mentioned something about getting a pink one, but I didn’t care because blue was a far better preference. I don’t think you got a game for me as you believed we could go shopping together to pick one that would interest me but clearly the Nintendo Gods were smiling upon me.
And then there came another volunteer with another bag!
To say that I was confused and deeply amused would be an understatement.
I, of course, thought that having three gameboys was a bit much and while I wanted to give them up for the one you gave me in order for other kids to have it – either them or their siblings – yet every child patient and their siblings had gotten a system that day too! I think even the teens were given the new system, which left me sitting with yours and the additional two that were literally dropped onto my lap.
I might have mentioned giving it to the friends I used to have before getting sick as I still cared about them even though I hardly ever saw them anymore, but you quickly nipped that in the butt. At first, I didn’t know why you were so adamant against my charity – as I clearly had more Gameboys than I knew what to do with! Now, as an adult, I can see why you chose not to. Most of my friends had moved on when I got sick. Hardly any of them asked about me, and some even thought that my cancer was contagious (I don’t blame them for that! Their parents could have been far more helpful to right that wrong). You were always a big believer of karma and doing to the universe what you would like done to you, so I’m sure you had some deep meaning behind not broadcasting the perks being a cancer kid had.
But me, as a maximalism millennial, I would have liked to take a moment to brag.
Besides sharing in brief conversations, I hardly ever bring this story up which is why today just felt like a wonderful opportunity to put how giddy I felt that day into words.
Despite how chaotic my life has been, I know you’re probably shooting the shit with my relatives and commenting about how much of a child I still am at heart. Some call it a coping mechanism, and they wouldn’t be wrong – but I find my happiness in little things.
So, happy MAR10 Day, mom.
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