Mardi Gras - Childhood Reflections

Growing up in New Orleans, I have countless memories from Mardi Gras, but a few really stand out: the Rex parade on MG day, the way my dad yells, “Hey Mista’” and other noises to the riders, Popeye’s fried chicken for lunch, flambeaux carriers, the Gold Duster’s dance team and their airbrushed van, the marching bands, baton twirlers, and so much more. Oddly enough, the item that stands out the most for me is the old-school glass and plastic beads thrown from floats when I was a child. The strands of beads typically either had a symmetrical color pattern and design or they were straight up randomly strung. I loved them all and spent countless hours removing the beads from their strings, sorting them, re-stringing them, and then unintentionally spilling the beads onto the carpet of my room. Whoops! This brings me to yet another notable memory from MG that I also associate with beads, and it’s the sound of beads being sucked up by the vacuum. 😬

Unfortunately, I no longer have any of those beads thanks to my reckless nature and the vacuum. But several years ago, my mom gave me a few strands of vintage plastic beads, and I cherish them for their nostalgia. Ironically, when I pulled the strands of beads out today, one broke, and the cats made it their full-time job to knock the beads to the floor. Perhaps that’s a little bead karma?

As the years accumulate, at a milestone in my life, and a time of great self-reflection and planning for the future... blah, blah, blah... I’ve come to realize that despite feeling like I’m constantly evolving and changing, I’m truly not. The things I love today are the very same things I’ve always loved: the color red, nature, collecting, deconstructing (destroying 😜) things, everything in excess, making a mess, alone time, and daydreaming. Now that I’ve realized this is my lifetime gig and that it’s highly unlikely that I’ll change, I’m “maximalizing” all of it! And, for laughs, I wish I had a picture of my “deconstructed” dollhouse to share. My parents brought it to me in a rather small box several years ago, and sadly and fortunately, I tossed it!

In New Orleans, at a Mardi Gras parade, you say, “Throw me something Mista’,” and perhaps in the future, I’ll say, “Throw me ALL of the vintage beads so I can hoard them, cut them up, and then dream up some reuse projects that will make a huge mess.” 😜. Seems a bit weird but I'm fully embracing weird so who cares?

Happy Mardi Gras, y’all! Laissez le bon temps rouler!

Always,

Ms. MORE