Seeing the marsh again reminded me of so many childhood memories. Swimming across it in terror to grab a piece of straw from the opposite bank. It was supposed to be a ritual by the cross country team. The smell of the marsh only lingered for a couple hours, but the memories of me sinking slowly into the thick silt, clambering through god knows what surrounded by god knows what stayed with me long after.
I remember walking across the mud with my grandma, me an overconfident tween getting his foot stuck in the mud and needing her to rescue me. Hours spent watching people go crabbing and having them explain to me the basics behind their traps. Watching the fireworks during the Fourth of July. Those 4 months where I was grounded and not allowed to play video games where I created a fort with my friends in the marshes. I walked by the area where my secret base was and just see a bunch of old reeds. But to my childhood mind those old reeds were the secret walls. That rotting driftwood my living room table. I walk through the marsh and it’s like all these childhood memories come back to me. It’s on one hand unsettling. Unsettling to remember the person I was, and think about how different of a person I am now. But that moment passes, and all I feel is nostalgia. Nostalgia for the way things were. A world without a pandemic. A world without responsibilities. A world that I had no understanding of, yet somehow could understood more. In some strange way I thank the current events for giving me the opportunity to walk through all of my old haunts. A chance for me to remember everything. Everything from before. A time long ago. I leave the marsh as the next generation comes through, screaming about wanting to jump into the water. I look at them, and see myself so many years ago. There’s so much I want to tell them. Enjoy what you have right now, before it feels like the world is trying to hurt you. Enjoy what you have. There’s so much I want to tell myself. So much I want to remind myself about before it happens. Enjoy what you have. But maybe...that’s just a part of life itself. To look back at your life. Not in regret, but in celebration and remembrance of where you started, where you journeyed, and where you ended up. As the wind picks up and the chill sets in, I can't help but smile. Enjoying what I had back then, and what I have now. And with that I turn back, looking towards home. So I leave the marsh. I leave, but never forget. - A
1 Comment
Aaji
4/6/2020 08:56:38 pm
Love it. Like to read. I am very proud of my young smart grandson.
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AuthorI am just a guy in my 20s trying to find my way in life. I love to write short stories and also document the wonderful world around me! Be prepared for a lot of pictures! Archives
November 2022
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