Do you remember when…

I saw a picture of myself in Atlanta Carnival some years ago.  I was on Soca Scooter but my left hand was in the air, my hand open wide and I got a little nostalgic trying to remember when I was a “regular folk”. Clearly at the time, my hand was not an issue. G and I had this conversation before. We were both trying to remember how I walked, how I moved and I really don’t have any memory of that at all. One thing I do remember is that when I talked on the phone, I used to pace a lot – that certainly doesn’t happen anymore. Anyhoo…a post of some pictures of “down memory lane”.

This is the picture that started my walk down memory lane. My cousin and I were heading to our Atlanta Carnival band.  Not sure what year this was but clearly the sun wasn’t as much an issue as it is now because I played mas.  My left arm is outstretched and my hand is open and it appears that I’m doing so effortlessly.  Neither has looked like that in a picture in a long time – the arm will most probably be bent and the hand curled up.

Years ago (I believe that this was 1998), at the end of the carnival parade in Atlanta.  those days are so far behind me because I just cannot be on the road and in the sun for the length of any parade and well, there’ll be no jumping eh.  it saddens me, there’s nothing like jumping in a band behind a music truck at carnival time! SIGH!!
the days when I could wine to the ground and back up without a second thought.
…that was then

  …this is now

this was 2008; I was playing a game of mini golf. I don’t think I want to take a chance to swing a golf club anymore because I will surely keel over.
this is 2009 in DC and I hadn’t started using a cane yet. Those were the days  that whenever we got wherever we were going someone would secure a chair for me so that we had it when I needed it. Unfortunately at this fete, all we could find was a kiddie chair (y was that even around??? Who knows) so I’m sitting on the kiddie chair when this was taken.
This was Miami carnival 2010 and the first time I’d ever partied with my cane.  I think I might have felt a little weird at first.

Unlike my initial weirdness of being in a party with my cane, partying/heading out with SS was never an issue and I never tire of/welcome things like this happening 🙂
2017 at home for (the real) Carnival…I’ve “downgraded? graduated?” to a walker and luckily in Trinidad, we can play Monday night mas so I was on my way to meet the band.  SS was already in the trunk – playing mas with a walker makes no sense at all. I actually had to party with my walker once – by force. We took the scooter out the trunk and that’s when I realized that I didn’t have the key! what the?!? I felt like a fish out of water. Luckily I had the walker but I’ll be honest, I was self conscious whole night. I feel like a walker has no business in a party…sorry, say what u want about me, but there’s just nothing cool about a walker. I absolutely need it, but not even I can make it hip.

“Today”…

well.  I hope that you didn’t mind my short trip down memory lane.  Allyuh do have a great weekend.