"The Good Old Days"

I remember those years when all I wanted to be was older. Something inside me always wanted to go beyond whatever or wherever I was. But as those years passed and I entered High School, I forgot about that longing--I felt satisfied. Until one day it was rediscovered, dusted off, and lightened. The longing, the wish, the desire of something more once again appeared.

But oh to soon did I realize it was not the same dream that would come true in a year or two. It was something worse, much worse, because I new I would never be satisfied or free from the constant nagging of reality. I wanted to go back, to relive what I had swept aside as "the good old days." Just to step back in time and see life like it was through the eyes of a child. That would be enough for me. Oh, if only I hadn't wished away the past--that beautiful, once in a life time, past.

I recalled the wonder of those golden years and remembered the mysterious monsters in the closet, the unreachable cookies in the cookie jar, and the castle in the corner of the living room. To see a mansion within the simple doll house, and to hear the chatter of the dolls at our afternoon tea parties. To hug my teddy when I was afraid of the dark. And to see the world as big and unsearchable.

Sometimes I wonder if I knew that time was fleeting or if I thought it was forever. If only I could have held on a little tighter to what I loved so much!

But now, seeing my life as it is, full of responsibility, discipline, worry, and change, I know to hold on longer to what seems like forever. Because in a few tomorrows, it will be changed, and I will want to return to that yesterday.

"Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened!" --Unknown