My Childhood Memories
~Agrima Swaroop
“Oh, when I look back now
That summer seemed to last forever
And if I had the choice
Yeah, I’d always wanna be there
Those were the best days of my life.”
-Bryan Adams, ‘Summer of ‘69’
The other day, I was sitting in the garden, admiring the sunset, melting like my favourite ice cream. It reminded me of a sweet childhood memory of mine, of about eight years back, when my friends and I would play under the sky and as the sun would start to set, each of our mothers would call from the balcony asking us to come home. And in the end, it would just be my best friend and I rushing towards them, together.
Childhood memories are a valuable part of our lives. The ones where we’re the happiest are the ones that are the hardest to forget. Whenever I think back to my most beautiful memories, my mind instantly wanders to the days I spent with my childhood friends. The long summer afternoons spent playing in the park, the endless laughter, and the countless adventures we went on together are sewed in my memory forever.
My family and I used to live in a small colony, far from where we currently reside. Having just moved there, I was a small girl of five years, scared to make friends. It took my mother dragging me to the park and setting me up with people that I eventually left my house. It was then that I could say I had friends, if not, the best friends in my life. As far back as I can remember, I used to go down every day and play with them.
One day, during a game of hide and seek, my best friend and I decided to hide behind the temple in our neighborhood. As we waited in our hiding spot, the sun began to set. We were so engrossed in our game that we didn’t realize how much time had passed until my friend’s mother called us. She informed us that our friends had gathered at their home, worried about us as they were unable to find us. We strolled to her house, feeling proud of our success, and shared our adventure with our friends, while savoring a delicious serving of ice cream that my friend’s mother had prepared for us.
Another vivid memory I recall was when we were playing Treasure Hunt downstairs, a game in which one person was to hide an object while the rest had to find it. Remembering the moment we left the park, laughing at jokes and waiting for the object to be hidden, I recall noticing a lovely white flower with a green stem. Being the naive girl I was, I picked it up and delicately placed it behind my ear, feeling like a princess.
When the game started, I walked towards a blocked sewage hole that was near the rides of our playground. It always instilled fear in me for I thought a strange creature might jump out of the hole any second. However, I had a feeling that the object everyone was in search of was hidden inside that very hole.
Determined to find it, I asked a friend of mine, whom I looked up to as an elder sister, to accompany me to the place. I nervously watched as she put her hand inside to check for the object. To my great relief, she found it! I felt an indescribable sense of happiness and gratitude when I saw her retrieve the object from the hole. I hugged her tightly, thanking her for her help. Everyone bought me chocolates that day for that smooth victory.
Like these, there are many wholesome memories in the back of my mind, yet I don’t see them clearly. Those days were free of complications, full of innocence. I still hold those friends close to my heart even though I am no longer in touch with them. My family and I moved to a different town. Having bid our goodbyes, we had promised to keep in touch when I deep down knew that it wasn’t possible for we were just little kids.
Now, whenever my family and I drive by that neighborhood, I always ask my father to drive by the very park my friends and I used to play and pick flowers in. Passing through those very roads always gets me thinking about what it could have been if we hadn’t moved away. Would we all still have been friends? Would it all be the same? I guess we’ll never know.
This is why childhood memories are an essential part of my life. They take me back to the good old times. They help the little child in me survive amongst that tiny bit of happiness. And when I’m not caught up in the midst of growing up, these memories are the sources of the joviality that keep me going.
I like this!