MY CHILDHOOD HOME
a nostalgic list from a kid at heart
I loved everything about my childhood home. So much to the point, it offended me when my mom wanted to change anything about the house. I loved how the Nevada sun hit the mustard colored walls and the dog-scratched hardwood floors. I loved how the inside of my closet remained lime green when we repainted the rest of the room grey. I loved the my broken bedroom shutter and how I never knew which string to pull to close the blinds. I loved it so much, I was a 20-year-old-toddler-wreck when my parents decided to move. They sold it to a friend of a friend so we were able to see photos of it. Maybe it’s my Taurus nature, but seeing the changes felt like heartbreak. Regardless, here is what I’d do if I could return to my childhood home (if it stayed the same as I remember it).
sun bathe in the light from the family room’s south-facing windows
slide in socks on the hardwood floor
walk to the mailbox barefoot
watch the sunset from the back porch
sit on the kitchen counter and eat salsa
watch cars drive by from my bedroom window
water the garden
spy on the neighbor’s dog through the hole in the fence
lay on the dog-hair filled carpet
trace my fingers across the textured walls
knock on the window to quiet the loud pigeons
catch frogs near the sprinklers
wander across the deserted golf course
walk to Grandma and Grandpa’s
run the 3-mile hilly loop around the neighborhood
snoop through my sister’s closet
watch t.v. in my parent’s bedroom
play video games from Dad’s office
cry in my bedroom
eaves drop through the walls
improvise on the piano
step on the creaky spots