When I saw the themes for this week, one that is associated with childhood was the first thing that came to my mind.
What is your earliest childhood memory and why has it stuck with you?
But what is it that I have as the earliest memory, that it is still so clearly engraved on me and that it has left a mark on my entire life?
There were various situations that I remember some as if through a fog, in segments, but some clearly. like I experienced them last week, and which you would probably find interesting (and funny or scary if I were to describe them in detail).
Today, when I went for a walk in the neighborhood and the nearby forest for the first time after a few days of lying in bed, and saw this sign on the street I was passing, I remembered a situation that certainly had a great impact on my childhood and my entire life (because I survived) and taught me an important thing.
It was 1982, summer, end of June or beginning of July.
The world football championship was played in Spain.
I, like all the boys in the neighborhood, collected thumbnails for Panini's Spain 82 album.
The biggest excitement was opening the package with thumbnails, the biggest problem was how to find the money to buy new packages of thumbnails, the greatest satisfaction when I get a thumbnail that I was missing in the album, and the hardest task was replacing duplicates 🙂
It was the weekend, probably Saturday before noon. My father gave me money to buy him a daily newspaper at a nearby shop, and for myself small packets with pictures.
To get to that tobacconist, you had to walk (not run) 300 or 400 meters, and cross two streets that were not loaded with traffic.
Unlike the street I took a picture of today, next to the nearby school, with this yellow traffic sign warning drivers to pay attention to children running across the street, those two streets that I had to cross in 1982 were not so marked.
Excited to get to the tobacconist as soon as possible and immediately back home, I shortened the route I was taking and ran out onto the street, between two parked cars, outside the marked pedestrian crossing.
Boom - Tras
I flew to one side, my little sneakers to the other.
A Taxi vehicle hit me in the left leg, with screeching tires.
While the driver got out of the car, I, scared, was already on my bare feet next to the tobacconist, gave all the money, took only the newspaper and ran back home.
I ran into the house, gave my father a newspaper and hid in my room. After a few moments, the doorbell rang.
My mother was distraught when at the door a frightened taxi driver asked "Is there a little blue boy who lives here, I just hit him with my car".
I remember all those days that followed, which I spent in bed in pain, with bandages to remove the swelling of my left leg, which was not broken.
And I also remember the bicycle bought for me by the taxi driver who hit me with his car, although not at all guilty, happy that the hit was not fatal for me.
That situation taught me many things.
To be more careful, I don't run where people should walk (in fact, I don't run at all 🙂 ), I cross the street at marked places, and if that's not the case, I carefully check if there are any vehicles and try to be noticed by drivers.
Be careful in traffic and teach your little ones that it doesn't matter if they have the right of way, but to always check if it is safe to cross the street (that there are no passing vehicles).
And that they never run across the street!