My roots were planted in a little green house.
Truthfully, I lived in an apartment for the first three years of my life, but those memories are hazy. Moving to a house with kids my age when the concepts of friendship and neighbors take on understanding was a significant moment in my life.
Rules of human interaction, learning the nuances of the surrounding landscape, and developing an idea of place and identity grow from those roots. Fortunately, my street was loaded with kids. Together, our interactions gave us a taste of community.
I learned how to be a host and how to be a guest. What it means to forgive and be forgiven. Imagination coursed through our play-in the hot long summer days and the chilly snow covered winter ones.
And in those moments, when we all need a bit of a break from stimuli, I found refuge in a closet. It almost became a time travel machine. Because, in my mind, I landed anywhere and any time period books could take me. My passion for learning soared.
And it all began in a little green house.
Where did your roots sprout?
This post is written for the Five Minute Friday Writing Community. Come join us! https://fiveminutefriday.com/.
Stephanie, I love your story. I was imagining as you were speaking. Blessings
Visiting from FMF#11
I love this so much! I am a child of the 70s when kids ran wild in the streets and neighbors Mom’s kept track of where we all were… I grew up in the same house for 16 years and our neighborhood was tight. I, too, learned community and got a taste for it early on! Glad we are neighbors over at Kate’s place for FMF!
So grateful that I, too, grew up outside..with my friends. Free to explore, have fun and to sprout roots!! I wouldn’t trade it at all!!
So many life skills are learned through that type of interaction.
It’s funny, lots of times when I sit down to write, the house where I grew up comes to my mind. I moved in when I was five, and lived there until I was fifteen, probably the most formative years. Like you, my respite was my closet! It had the angle of the stairs going down into our family room, and I used that angle as my book-reading spot. I propped myself up with pillows and spent hours there reading. It’s fun to read someone with a similar childhood!
Miccah, your neighbor on FMF at #55 this week
Such a fun memory!