Kane week 2- my childhood

     My childhood is a very broad topic, to begin with, but I plan on narrowing it down to the simple memories that have stuck with me forever. My memory boils down to a simple time, where I had little responsibilities and I merely focused on what toy I wanted to play with that day. I guess life changes as you get older. Sometimes though, the memory of these simpler times can bring me to a stress-free place where I long to be. 

    I guess you can call this topic number one. This is probably the farthest I can remember into the past. At the age of 5, I had to take nightly breathing treatments. This is a very scary experience for a young child, so I was forced to find a way to pass the time. Once I finished them, I was often left wide awake and in need of fresh air. My dad and I would sit on our deck and look at our backyard. Listening quietly as the creek flowed in the background. The air was crisp. And breathing became a lot easier. We would find "Lions, and tigers and bears" and focus on the fictional problems rather than the ones in front of us. This distraction would become very hard for me now, as I can't get my focus off of one thing before moving onto the next.

    So this is memory number 2. At this point, I was a bit older, around 6 or 7. I started to become aware of my surroundings and contribute to the family. With the creek in the backyard, I spend most of my time splashing around and running through the woods. It was like my second home. But I never realized the horrible people that would bring that to a stop.  Hercules Cement Factory. Drained the creek after lightning hit their pumps. Left thousands of naturally spawned trout to suffocate in the earth's oxygen. I went out to save as many as possible, but you can only have so many buckets and baby fish. Here I realized reality isn't so hot. That we will be sprung with issues on the daily. 

    My final memory that stands out to me on a daily is also a story about the creek. My brother and I had finally reached a certain age where we were allowed to go past the first bridge by our house and explore the remainder of the area. We brought our bird dog griffin out there in hopes that he may provide protection. Little did we know though, that this would be a terrible idea. He saw a flock of geese and took off. we chased him for hours through the thick brush, into people's cornfields, and we found some ancient ruins in the woods. At this point though, it got dark. We were just as lost as the dog, so we followed the creek home in tears. Griffin came back eventually. But it was so scary to be responsible for the loss of a family pet. 

    All of these instances have impacted me in such a big way. Especially the last one. We found parts of the woods that we explored for years after. I guess looking back in the past is a new way to relieve my stress and focus on the little things. Thank you for listening.