I remember bright sunny spring mornings, daydreaming about the morning ahead of me. After my mom was ready, I would skip holding my mother’s hand begging her to hurry as we sprinted to the swing set. I would tip the swing upside down to avoid getting my pants all wet. Then, I would jump onto the swing and kick my legs as hard and fast as I could. I enjoyed watching the birds fly and hear the other children scream with delight.

Also, I remember fun summer days with friends, swimming in the pool and enjoying popsicles. My friends and I would walk through the mall with my mom in a store nearby, but we felt like big kids being allowed to shop without an adult. I also remember summer days I spent with friends in our backyard eating popsicles and jumping off the diving board. I always thought the summer was worry-free.

Finally, my favorite childhood memory is traveling with my family. I would jump out of bed at 5 a.m. to my alarm clock, merely because I could never sleep the night before. I would throw my clothes on, brush my teeth in thirty seconds and run to my mom’s bathroom brush in hand. I anxiously waited for her to do my hair, with my father’s voice echoing in my mind, “If you are not in the car we will leave without you.” Once my mom finished my hair, which felt like it took FOREVER, but really only took a minute or two. I would dash to the kitchen to get the strawberries and yogurt to eat in the car. I then grabbed by backpack and hopped into the backseat with my brother and waited for my parents.

Sometimes, I like to think back to these childhood memories. The simplicity of life then seems so unreal now that I'm older.