[childhood memories]

"What's one thing that makes you feel like a child again?"

"Definitely playing outside. Whether it's frisbee or hammocking or...chasing someone, playing tag--I think that's one thing that instantly makes me feel like a kid. When you're running, and you feel that little thing on the inside of your stomach, when you know you're gonna get caught...or playing hide-and-go-seek, too, because you're sitting there for more than 10 minutes, but it's so fun at the same time...and you get that little tinkle and you're like, "I really gotta pee!" 'cause you always did that when you were little, you know what I mean? It happened every time!"

"What's one of your favorite childhood memories?"

"We always went to the beach with my grandpa when we were little. One time we rented out this house right on the beach, I was probably...7, maybe? So my brothers were older. And we walked the entire 3 miles along the beach to collect sea drift and we created a baseball field out of it, because we would always play wiffleball in the front yard. We made an entire baseball field, it was so cool! Then we played wiffleball with all of my cousins and stuff, and that same day, we made sand candles. We still have them in my bathroom back home. It was the one time--especially with my grandpa--where we were all together."

Together. Perhaps that's really what we miss most from childhood--a sense of belonging, of togetherness that comes from having those you love all in one place. We go from meals around the dinner table to meals alone, the television taking the place of a family conversation. Separated by time and space, time together just isn't a priority, replaced by the twists and turns of life's unpredictability. Moments spent together become memories of a time past, until one day only the memories remain.

Reach out to those haunting your memories. Call them, get coffee with them, write them a letter--even if they aren't around to receive it. Maybe then you can begin to recreate that sense of togetherness once more.