It is fascinating to think that my small neighborhood is filled with such vibrant childhood memories, rich detail, and artistry. Our immediate surroundings influence the way we grow up, create memories that we will invariably hold onto, and assist us in realizing how special the lives we live truly are. I have grown up with my family in a wonderful neighborhood, which is absolutely more than I could ever ask for.

I live in a picturesque neighborhood. The scenery is vibrant, luscious, and inviting. Each one of the houses share similarities in their outside appearance and structure with others in the neighborhood. The porches wrap around the houses and provide everyone with a place of relaxation from their busy days. I live within walking distance from a park with a beautiful gazebo, fountains, and greenery. My neighborhood evolves throughout the course of the changing seasons. All of the radiant greenery and flowers are in full bloom during the spring providing the neighborhood with a pleasant physical appearance. Summer rolls around and all the children are out making a splash in their pools trying to enjoy their school-free vacation. The sounds of ice cream trucks fill the neighborhood nearly every night at the same time after dinner. However, the summer fun quickly comes to an end when the leaves begin to change color and float to the ground. The neighbors try and shovel the dispersed leaves into bags in hopes of keeping their yards spotless and well-kept until the snow comes to town. The winter months are my favorite to watch in the neighborhood. The points to the houses look like mountain peaks covered with snow. I love to look out into the pitch black street at night and watch the snow fall to the ground as it catches the street lights. My neighborhood is like a light switch. It’s very busy throughout the daylight hours, but when the sunlight fades to darkness the street become desolate.

My neighborhood has provided me with many childhood memories, which I will carry with me for the rest of my journey through life. We all share an attachment with the location where we feel the most comfortable and secure in. I’m no different. My family and I have been in our current neighborhood for ten years, but it feels like much longer. We moved into our house before I started second grade at a new Elementary school. I can look back and remember taking pictures for my first day of second grade with my two younger brothers out in front of our house. My parents joked about how hard it was to snap a shot of all three of us smiling at the camera. The long blonde curls in my hair were blowing in the wind which didn’t make capturing the perfect shot of us any easier for them. I was famous for never leaving the house without my mom placing a bow in my long locks to tie the outfit together.

Years have passed since my days of bows and curls, but my siblings and I still continue the tradition of taking a picture in front of our house before we take off for our first day of school! I can also recall playing all these crazy games with the neighborhood kids as a child. My siblings, neighborhood friends, and I were famous for our endless soccer matches in my backyard. We would create teams, write them on a sheet of paper, record the results of each game, and play literally all day. My brother Brandon and I were the dynamic duo who won almost every tournament we ever had. We all had a blast together as children in our neighborhood, but in life all things must come to an end. All of us have grown into young adults, but none of us have forgotten the time we spent together in our neighborhood as children.

My neighborhood is a location bursting with stories, memories, and plenty of action. I never thought that a location could hold such value in a person’s life. People need to take a step back in life to appreciate where they grew up. The idea seems ridiculous, but it’s also an eye opening one too. The person you are today might not be here if you didn’t grow up where you had and met the people you did. Can you picture growing up another way? Would you want to grow up differently despite the fact that the person you are today might not be here? I wouldn’t trade any of my experiences to grow up in a different location because it has helped shape me into the individual I am today.