We asked our regular contributors through e-mail, What are you surprised that you haven’t outgrown? We got many interesting responses. Here are some of them. We have just copied and pasted their responses, not editing them in any way.
1. I made a tie-dye shirt when I was 8. I’m almost 26 and it still fits.
– thorwellithurts
2. My desire to ride the shopping cart.
I don’t always do it, but I always want to. Turning 60 soon.
– Scrappy_Larue
3. Running up the stairs as soon as I turn the lights off in my basement. Gotta make sure the monsters don’t get me.
– phil127
4. Video games.
I remember when I was 12 or so, my grandfather told me one day you’ll grow out of it. I took that as a challenge.
– Burritozi11a
5. Becoming emotional (tearing up, crying) while reading fiction or watching tv or movies. I’m 74, learned to read before I was four years old, and the pure feeling of escape and involvement and identification that I felt then has never ebbed. When listening to radio drama—The Lone Ranger, Sky King, The shadow, all of them in the fifties, same thing; fast heartbeat, fear, pity whatever was required I responded. Then came TV, mid-1950’s, as a kid laying on the living room floor under the coffee table watching everything until the test pattern ended the night. And movies. Movies. I remember running for home at top speed from the Minne Lusa Theater double feature of ‘InvadersFrom Mars’ and ‘Them’. But I’ve never gotten over particularly the emotion of sadness, grief, empathy for movies that are probably written particularly to evoke those sentiments. Studios might be able to save a buck by dispensing with their test audiences and just watching me watching their movie. Been crying since Lassie came home. Other than that, I’m a grown-up man with a wife and grandkids and a normal balance, emotionally, as far as I can tell. But still cry while reading a book, watching a movie or tv drama. I think if I had outgrown it, I’d have missed a lot.
– zenbaptist
6. Not letting my feet dangle off the bed.
Not tonight, monsters!
– hopscotchking
7. Using my imagination when I’m bored. Did it a lot when I was a kid, imagining different scenarios inspired by books and movies. Surprised that I still do it, but it’s a lot more structured now.
– Leorlev-Cleric
8. Board games. I play with my co-workers during lunch now.
– winguy
9. Dinosaur Egg Oatmeal, I will forever hunt for those candy eggs.
– everythingwright34
10. My fear of the dark.
– eggplantlasagna
Hey – opening automatic doors with the force – I do that too!
Going out of my way to step on the “extra-crunchy” leaves in the fall.