Springtime Makes Me Nostoligic

I remember when being grounded was a fate worse than death.

That was back when the sun was still out in the summer when I went to bed, and I had to ask permission to watch television. My hair was, more often than not, uncombed. I had braces, freckles, and scrapes on my knees from adventuring in the creek across the street. The only thing worse than being grounded was your best friend being grounded so you couldn't call them over to play.

I remember the excitement of the first warm days of spring, the flowers, the thunderstorms, and the terror of tornado drills (welcome to Kansas, ya'll). I remember playing outside for hours and hours until mom would ring the giant bell by our backdoor and we would scurry home for dinner. I remember being as tan as an Indian not because I went outside to get a tan, but because I lived in the pool when it was summer time.

I remember promising myself I'd never grow up.

Whoops.