As I think about nearing 30 years on this planet , I think of the saving graces. Two of those saving graces stare me right in the face here in 2021!
30 years in the making of this life, of course the biggest life-savers have been the doctors and the nurses and my core family who have stuck by each and every day of this journey. But through any chaotic health crisis, isn’t normalcy wanted?
Isn’t normalcy a priority for a child that needs hospital time more so than other kids? My folks sure thought so! So, they let me live out my childhood phases to the fullest. Two of those phases have hit me right between the eyes !
On Friday night, July 30th, the Mets will don their classic black jersey for the first time in nearly 15-20 years. An exciting moment for sure since they turned to a blue jersey over last couple of years. Personally, I used to want every kind of black jersey the Mets had worn in the 90s! From the home to the road, to Mike Piazza shirts, and even the black Mets cap! My folks took me to Grand Slam Sports in Times Square, NYC and let me immerse in that jersey-wearing glory! Which I continue to immerse myself in.
Back then , however, sports jerseys were an escape from whatever health ailment I had dealt with any given week! I even would wear a Yankee or Mets (or even Cubs/Blackhawks) to the hospital as sort of a security blanket I guess ! So thanks mom, pop and my stepdad for never discouraging me from this phase because wearing sports jerseys definitely helped me through the rough times!
Another phase that hit me this week was my love of Taz, the Looney Toons’ own Tazmanian Devil! Whether it was his whirling dervishes, or just his chaotic intensity I loved that dude ! I got what felt like all his shirts and even a plush Taz ! I see that he his in Space Jam 2 now!
Childhood phases today look a lot different and I wasn’t going to go here but let’s talk about it. Children today seem more encouraged to feel like who they identify with rather than how they were made by God. I don’t believe it’s trans-phobic to say a childhood phase of gender dysphoria may not last forever , so to explore the idea even to point of body reconstruction does feel wrong to me in a body as young as 9-16/17 years old. Keeping an eye out on these phases feels the best course of action , rather than bowing down to taking action then and there when you most likely know what’s best for your child over any radical activists that say otherwise!
For me this summer, however, it appears I’ll be reliving my childhood this summer, or at least looking back on it as thank God for these phases that kept me going then and inspire me to keep going now!
The Writings of Alex Garrett 