That Special Place,

I remember you all too well. The sound of the crickets, the smell of the smoke, and the glow of the fire as we sat around laughing in the middle of nowhere. Those nights we stayed up too late and got a little too loud. Those nights we grew together as we grew up.

I'm sorry we all doubted you. Doubted the effects you were truly having on us in those moments. We took you for granted. I couldn't wait to leave you, but now that I have I can't wait to go back one day.

More than where I was, I miss how I felt. Young, carefree, and alive. Thank you for making us feel like nothing could stop us and the world was only as big as we wanted it to be. In a time where there was no such thing as post-grad job hunting or thesis papers, you were exactly what we needed. There was just us and our backyards.

Maybe it's not the place we miss, but the people that made it that way. We could be anywhere and still manage to get lost. Sitting around at lunch, cheering on a Friday night, or aimlessly walking around town just having fun. It truly didn't matter as long as we had each other.

I don't miss being 16 and awkward. Don't get me wrong. What I do miss as life gets crazier and crazier is the place that made me who I am. The old stomping grounds that both built me up and broke me down, only to build me up stronger than I was before. The time in life where all that could truly go wrong was having your heart broken for a minute or two. All of this was going on, but we just thought it was another Saturday night.

Maybe I'm just getting a little scared of the impending "real world" everyone keeps talking about, but it seems like the older I get, the more I want to go back to you, the more my heart aches to go back. What do they say, "country roads take me home?"

Though I've moved on in life and haven't seen that place in years, a part of my heart will always be locked into that space in time. A part of my heart will always be sitting around the campfire until we couldn't feel our fingers anymore. A part of me will always be dancing in the rain and sliding down the hill in the mud because we just couldn't help ourselves.

I know there are new people making memories with you now. They deserve your time and space, too.

The longer I stay in this new place, the more I grow to love it. But it will never be you. Looking back, I can't help but smile. You gave me everything I needed and more, in a time in life when I didn't know I needed it. All I can do to honor your memory is strive to be the person you taught me to be.

Until next time, old friend.

Fondly yours,

The Person You Created