"Have you thought about writing your family history, but found yourself stuck from the start? Writing a family narrative can be a daunting task, but Karen Jones Gowen found a way to bring her mother's story to life." (Homespun Magazine)

Thursday, April 28, 2011

X Marks the Spot

Do you remember that Steven Spielberg movie The Goonies? A group of kids find a treasure map in the attic and follow it to find a fortune so they can save their homes from evil developers. It sounds like a lame premise, but never underestimate Steven Spielberg or the fantastical charm of those four words-- X marks the spot.

Besides, what kid hasn't dreamed of doing this very thing? I know I did. I would fantasize about finding an ancient pirate treasure map with that magical X showing where to dig for the buried treasure. I even had my wish list of what I would do with all that money: 

Buy all the candy in the world. I still love candy. Have my very own horse. I always wanted a horse and never did get one, cursed deprived childhood. Fill my room with every stuffed animal, doll, puppet, book, paper doll set, tea set, electric train, squirt gun and cap gun and real gun that I ever wanted. I was a girl of varied interests.

Now I'm an adult, and I still long for some kind of magical X to mark the spot, the end of the rainbow, the buried treasure, the ship coming in. On The Goonies, there was an actual ship that came in at the end-- floating into the bay as the parents watched in awe.

What would I do with all that money? Pay off my mortgage and the mortgages of all my sisters and children. (Again, similar to The Goonies-- getting money to save the family home.) Buy my husband a truck. Get new carpet in my home, tile, and repaint the entire place. Rebuild the pond. Er, I mean pay someone to do it. Buy my son and his fiancee a new car to start their wedded life. Buy my daughter an economical but safe car so she could drive down every day to my house and go for hour-long walks with me.

Okay, I need to stop now. This list is building steam as I go. Do you think there's ever a time in one's life where we are so satisfied that we don't have even one tiny little desire to find the buried treasure?


6 comments:

  1. Oh I don't think I'd ever want to get to that stage where I'd be so satisfied that I'd not desire for a little bit of buried treasure!! Life would just be dull!! Take care
    x

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  2. I found $25 yesterday in the gym bag and if felt a little like buried treasure. When I was young, I used to hide money on purpose. That way I "found" buried treasure about twice a year.

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  3. I like Plain Jane's comment. Hide some some money then "find" it later!

    What you would do with your money, Karen, is exactly what I would do: help my family pay off mortgages, etc.

    Read your comment just now on my Crossroad post. I'm glad you like my review of UCD. This made my day, among other things such as missing being hit by a tornado that struck some small towns only a few miles north of us here in Virginia. Watching what's happened/still happening in the Midwest does make me rethink, again, life's priorities, and how brief this earth life is!

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  4. My husband says I hide money in my coat pockets so I can get excited when I find it there the next winter...Treasure Island was one of my favorite books, so yes, I guess you can count me in the X Marks the Spot fan club!

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  5. ooh no! there is always treasure to be found. H.G tells me to go and find that pot of gold and then he wont have to go out to work.

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I don't post very often, but if you leave a comment I'll know someone is out there reading. And then I will post more! Bwa ha ha!