As I was walking home today, I saw a kid in a Saint Annes uniform drawing hopscotch and various monsters on the sidewalk. The images littered the sidewalk going up to his house and leading up to another house. At the step of the door, there was a note that read “I love you mom.” This really hit home. When I was about the same age as this toddler, I had done almost the exact same thing on my sidewalk. It was great to see how intrigued the kid was at his own creations. Inside, I felt an urge to pick up one of the pieces of chalk scattered across the morning cut grass and start etching scary monsters into the gravel. The manifestation of my greatest fears when I was just a child molded itself into red lines of chalk depicting Freddy Keurgar and Jason across the white granite concrete of the front of my house. Eleven years later the hieroglyphs of my dreams are long gone. But the memories last forever along with a life free of worry, trouble, pain and anger. Problems that plague me now would have frightened me and made me cry if it were to be even mentioned to my younger self. I look back at how I did not have a care in the world. The greatest obstacles that I encountered included beating my 7-year old leukemia plagued friend at “pogs” and waking early enough to catch the first Sailor Moon show of the day. Yes. I use to love Sailor Moon. Back then I did not understand why I was so in love with the show, but now as I look back I can see the interest may reflect my rapidly growing interest in the opposite sex.

It is almost depressing to think about all the things that I have gone through. But it is even more depressing to think about what other people I know have also gone through. At seven, I did not know or even care what lay ahead of me. I was too preoccupied with the daily rap of my day. Who knew that there was a war going on in Iraq at that time? I sure didn’t. So many things that I could have done differently or saw sooner to prevent events that occurred. Normally, I am not the one to look back at the has been. But just seeing this little kid engulfed me in a wave of nostalgia. Everyone has their breaking point. Up until now I have been just cruising through my life, not as aware as I should be as to what I am going to be doing in ten years. The decisions I make in 2 months will determine where I will be in those 10 years. Will I still be working at Taco Bell? Will I be in a belligerent country fighting the first battle the modern American military will lose? Or will I be sitting in a lounge chair listening to old classmates tell me their problems at discounted prices? I am sure that these feelings are not unique either. I look around my class and I see a lot of uncertain faces. Many know where they will be in a year, but in ten will be hard to tell. Everything seems to going by so fast too. I want this all to end (school) but then again I don’t want to lose all my friends that I have made in the past four years. I guess I should really just take it step by step, hopefully not tripping to often, ending up a winner. SQUIRRELS EAT NUTS.