Last weekend my wife and I drove up to Brookings, South Dakota for a family reunion. We had some time to kill so we drove over to see the townhouse where I had lived from 1985 through 1989 (my 3rd grade through 6th grade years). We parked in front of the building and I just couldn't believe the feeling I had.... the place hadn't changed at all (besides a different paint color on the front door)- I just stared for a long time, I could so clearly picture the memories of my friends and I jumping our bikes off of ramps we built with scrap wood there on the front sidewalks while blasting Bon Jovi, Europe, and Def Leppard on our battery powered boom boxes, playing with our transformers out there in the front yard, my friend from next door coming over every morning to watch our great TV lineup of G.I. Joe, Transformers, reruns of Dukes of Hazzard and CHIPS.... The cluster of mailboxes for our building were down by the street just as they were then- and the mailbox that was ours- number 7- still had scratches on it from the time in the 2nd winter we lived there where it was frozen shut and I pounded on it with a hammer thinking that would help to get it open. :-)
It was quite a bittersweet moment... it was amazing to have all of those great memories, to think of how it was, how perfect life seemed in that little neighborhood back then- but yet then seeing how the neighborhood appears now- quiet, more serious, and of course how my own life is more serious, full of adult responsibilities.... oh I wish I could go back and just relive one of those summers again.
Have any of you had a similar experience recently?