Magical Year(s)

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Is there some year in your life (possibly from childhood) that seems incredibly special for you? It could be a year that just makes you want to jump into a time machine and return to relive it. And it doesn't have to be one specific year, it could be a range of years. For me, 1974 comes to mind. But as a range, I would place it at 1972-1976.

My avatar picture is of me in 1972. That year was special because that is when I began my in-depth fascination with roller coasters. That picture was taken shortly after I rode my first adult-size roller coaster---the Racer at Kings Island. That was also the year I first visited Serpent Mound and became interested in ancient American earthworks. And that was the year I got to see the Cincinnati Reds play the Oakland A's during the World Series.

1973 was special because I went to Walt Disney World for the first time, and I became fascinated with electronic synthesizer music because of Disney's Electrical Water Pageant. I have since collected around 30 synthesizers.

1974 was an amazing year. We went to Myrtle Beach twice that year. And I have such great memories of all the things we did. And that was the year I rode what has become my favorite roller coaster---the Swamp Fox. My love for that roller coaster is so great, that I helped save it from destruction around 1990---but that is a long story.

1975 was another vacation to Walt Disney World, and a great time in Gatlinburg, TN on our return home.

And 1976 was special because we traveled out west and visited many wonderful states. And that was America's bicentennial which I remember quite well.

But I have centered a lot of this on vacations. There was much more to these special years than just vacations. These years of my childhood seemed magical because of things like getting to stay all night at my grandparents house frequently. I got to explore the caves on the family property deep in the woods. I learned spooky ghost stories. We had some deep snows. It was such a magnificent time for me. Oh...there is so much more, but this will do for now.

I would like to hear from some of you about your magical years.

1965.

Specifically, Christmas of that year.

Everyone was there. Everyone was happy. There were lots of presents and hugs for everyone all around.

My dad was sober, my mother was smiling, my brothers had not been arrested, and my entire family though of me as someone special.

I was 8 years old.

...

Other than this, I can't remember the last time I actually enjoyed a holiday event.

When I was 11. That was just a good year

1986 was a very special year for me. My family went to Expo 86 4 times. I loved going to Expo. We stayed until late at night all three times. I will always remember that summer. I've never had another year quite like that one.

Last year, 2010, was the best year of my life.

Between January and February, I developed my current special interest in Johnny Depp and Tim Burton. What sparked the interest was deciding to watch Edward Scissorhands on a whim. After that it was Sweeney Todd, and then Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Then I watched Sleepy Hollow and Corpse Bride. I was hooked, and I couldn't wait for Alice in Wonderland to come out in the spring.

On March 5th, mom took me to the IMAX theater to see Alice in Wonderland. I had been extremely excited about it. I dressed up for it and listened to my then-favorite song, "Ligger Med Varandra" by DJ Auzern, on repeat for hours while stimming. After the movie, mom talked about how much Alice reminded her of me. The movie itself became my primary special interest of that year, and it is still one of my favorite movies to this day.

On November 11th, I had an Alice in Wonderland themed birthday party. I drank chai tea out of a teacup and ate a blue, caterpillar-shaped cake while the movie played in the background. I amassed a collection of Alice in Wonderland items which I had bought from the Internet.

But the year wasn't good only just because of my new special interests. It was also a year with very little family drama. Everybody was healthy, happy and financially sound.

By contrast, the events which have transpired this year, while not exactly traumatic, have not been ideal at all and lately I can't shake the feeling that something disasterous is looming on the horizon for myself and my family.

The summer from 2001 till the summer of 2002. I graduated high-school in 2001 & a couple months after summer ended I went to a training center for people with low vision to learn life-skills for 6 months(I have a very rare low vision disorder). I didn't really have any problems or stress when i graduated high-school; I had a few months off & my family wasn't really on my back or anything. Then I went to the training center & there were some things I didn't like but I didn't have any majorly bad experiences & it was a learning experience that helped me grew & mature a little. I had a plan to take a courses on computer repair after I got out the training center so I had the next few months off without having any real problems with my family on my back about anything.

Things went downhill for me the year after thou. The computer thing didn't work out because I didn't have the motor-skills, background knowledge or smarts for it. My parents started getting on my back a lot about how I wasn't working & spending all my time online & I was very frustrated because I was putting in apps at every place I could think of every month & I never even got a call about an interview & I had no clue what more I could of realistically been doing to find a job & move on with my life. I met a girl online & I had a mental breakdown when the relationship fell apart & I spent the next 5 years seeing psychs & taking meds.

Things are really going uphill this year so for & this may be another magical year for me till the next one.

2005 - I was pregnant that year and my daughter was born in the November. I'd dreamed about that for 8 years, so it was pretty magical when it eventually happened.

1989 was good too as that was when I had a couple of boyfriends and then met my husband.

The summer of 1976 was pretty amazing as there were ladybirds (ladybugs) everywhere. But most of my childhood is only noteworthy because of dramatic/traumatic family events, very little good stuff, except nice holidays.

2001

2009 was also a very magical year for me. It was in the September of 2009 that I went back to being the old, fun CockneyRebel who posts about Routemasters and the 60s. 2009 was the year that I went back to my Mod roots and started being myself again. 2009 was the year that I've decided to reach out to society and start listening to The Kinks, once again. It was in 2009 that I've accepted that I'm a sensitive, vulnerable person and I chose Mick Avory who has those two similar traits to be my role model. I admit that he's more of a twin than a role model, but it works for me.

Why was this all possible? Because I let go of all the grudges that I was holding against everybody in my life who have ever done me wrong. Such examples of those people were those who didn't think I would amount to anything like my dad and various high school and college teachers and my bullies such as my NT peers and anybody who has ever turned against me up to and including the year, 2007.

Why did I do it? I did it for myself. I've reevaluated myself through the entire Summer of 2009 to pick up enough gumption to be the 60s Mod that I'm meant to be, once again. I'm not changing again.

Summer in Florence when I was 12.

Hmm...a time I can't remember well anymore, I would imagine. My "magical" years are still yet to come.

2001 for me too. It was the most depressing year, but the most interesting. Completely by surprise, I met this incredibly beautiful guy with big green eyes - they were really sparkly and amazing. He was nerdy, kind, innocent and ever so cute, and fancied me too. Then he didn't want to know me, and I never knew why. He was my big teenage crush at 13. Occasionally I still wonder about him.

I saw him outside my old college a few years ago, and he was smiling at me, and I walked past him. I could've kicked myself afterwards, cos it would have answered some old questions had I gone up and spoken to him. 13 was too young to develop such a huge crush.

I remember summer in the eighties. Getting up early before anyone was up. Going to the Officer's club pool. We would usually find money near the drain and use it up at the arcade. Sometimes we would get chased out but it didn't seem like I had a care in the world. Dirt clod fights and kickball until sunset and then hearing someone call out that dinner was ready.

can't think of any, wish I could

Not from childhood but I was very young then, just 14 - it was in 1998. Quite a magical year in my memories though no special reasons for it exist (maybe but for the one I started to feel adult then, when I was 13-14 - I finally left the world of childhood then, I was at last a young lady not a child) I just recall it in this way - maybe it's because of the diary I was keeping throughout the whole year? I named it "The Book of the Year" and every day religiously I was recording in it what happened to me - sort of what Adrian Mole was doing but my diary with its read covers was MUCH more boring than the one by Adrian. I got bored with it but I had sworn to myself to have it the whole year so I had to keep the promise. Maybe it's also because it was this magical period when I had left my childhood not such a very long time ago so many things young people do and kids don't were still new and fascinating to me.