A small amount of vindication. . .

Childhood memories aren't always accurate. I think over time we unconsciously remake them a little.
Sometimes our memory of an event is just a tiny fragment of the whole picture that we have at times had to complete to make a whole story.
Things were always bigger or nicer or. . . well at least different then they sometimes turn out to be when we revisit them later in life.

Sometimes we have no way of proving our memories are accurate or not, there are no photos or movies, they are just that, memories.

All my life I have had a fleeting memory of at one time riding an elephant in our then local grocery store parking lot. I don't know if my folks ever took a picture of the event, I have never seen one.
It was a local chain of then only one store. One we went to every week, the same one I eventually ended up working for five years during high school and college. Hedges and Hafer was the name.

Well, this past fall, if you remember, my daughter and I went to a circus and she had a chance to ride an elephant. It was one of those kind of events I am sure would have still happened even if I had not remembered riding one many years ago. But having a shared experience made it all the better.

And I took lots of pictures so she won't have to rely on just memories.





Well, there is this Facebook page I follow in which people share memories of growing up in our then smallish town. And I posted the question; "Does anyone remember riding an elephant in Hedges and Hafers parking lot in the late 50s or early 60s?"
And well, not only did several remember the event, one follower actually had photos of the day.

 This one shows the Facebook follower on the elephant.

This one shows a picture of a trailer pulled by an elephant.
Someone more educated in fashion can probably date the photo from the styles people are wearing.


None of this actually proves I rode the elephant. It just proves at least partially my memory was accurate.
The event did happen, and until I have proof otherwise, I am going to remember that I rode the darn thing.