It’s a weird feeling know that the world I have always known is coming to an end. It suddenly hit me, as I anticipate what the future will have in store for me, that all that is familiar will be no more.

A part of me wants to move on, but I still feel the need to hold on to the past, leading me on an adventure through memory lane to recapture my innocent youth.
The first spot I hit up on the quest to recapture my childhood was my old stomping grounds, Almond Elementary. The seven years spent in this institution of education were full of grass stains, cuts from tanbark and finger paint. My experiences at Almond make me who I am today.

Right off the bat, I noticed that everything was so small. Six foot high basketball hoops, tiny chairs and skinks only a few feet off the ground were not what they seemed to be back in the day. But as I was completely bent as I washed my hands, I remembered I probably was not 6’3 when I left the womb, and that the proportions were normal back when I was wearing tighty whiteys.

Overall, I felt like Frodo returning to the Shire. Nothing was how it once was. I realized that I couldn’t recapture my youth here, so I headed home.

Once home, I decided to climb up in my attic and dust off my most cherished possession of all time: the Nintendo 64. After blowing in the console and games for about two weeks, I settled onto my couch and put in Goldeneye 007. I quickly realized it was nothing like the game from my memories.

The blurry graphics bothered me slightly, but I had lost my skills at this classic game. The solo joystick caught me off guard as I tried to kill the Russians surrounding me. (I miss the days when video games and movies allowed the Cold War to continue to exist.) I could not handle the ancient weapons and techniques, as I was unable to defend myself at all. Soon enough, I curled up in the fetal position, tears rolling down the sides of my cheeks, with the control in pieces. This was one mission in which Bond would not succeed.

Soon I began taking out everything that reminded me of my youth, but nothing worked. I am too heavy for Slip-and-Slides, my feet still hurt from stepping on Legos and worst of all, Happy Meals no longer fill me up.

I guess I cannot relive all those memories that I cherish. People are not supposed to live in the past; instead they should look towards the future. I should not try to keep the future from coming; I need to let life take its course.