When Did We all Grow Up?
Honestly.
Remember those days when you spent hours upon hours outside, on the trampoline with all your neighborhood buddies? Or Rollerblading and going swimming with those same buddies in the summer heat? Or biking, running, playing ball, or even just lazing around outside. I remember opening up a lemonade/snowcone stand with my older sister and around six of my favorite neigborhood friends, who are Hellen, Josh, (<– they are siblings) Arvin, Larry, (<— also siblings), Michelle (same name as me), and occasionally, Holly. I remember lying on the trampoline bed with them, exhausted after jumping for atleast an hour straight. I remember the chilly fall wind blowing against me as we had bike races down our very leveled hill. I remember planning parties and picnicks that never really came to life. I remember braiding eachother’s hair, giving the girls makeovers. I remember poking fun at the boys and competing with them in races. I remember spending hours under (yes, under) Hellen and Josh’s deck, throwing rocks through the holes the deck walls had. I can even remember the unfathomable amount of time we had spent at our neighborhood pond, looking for the occasional fish or turtle.
When did all those hours of playing outside turn into hours of studying and secluding ourselves from the old neighborhood friends?
I can describe my last summer in full detail in ONE SENTENCE.
“Spent it all in my room, except for a week was spent in the upper east side.”
Gosh. My summers before fifth grade… they were filled with endless adventures with friends. I would do something new everyday.
Now one of my friends is getting ready for college, the other has a girlfriend whom he spends all his time with (we aren’t that close anymore, anyway), another is a possible druggie, and the others just didn’t stay in touch…
I hadn’t noticed, to tell you the truth.
But when I sit and think about it, I really do miss those water balloon fights and walks to Dominick’s.
