Things That Have Changed

1. My school: When I was in elementary ("Elementary, my dear Watson!") school, there was not a large high school section like we now have. I can't remember which year all of my current classrooms were built, but before it was just a lot of concrete brick rooms where elementary and middleschool kids ventured in on missions from teachers to retrieve costumes or tissues. Now it's where I spend most of my time.
2. My book tastes: When I was younger, books were so simple, and usually taught simple life lessons that could be applied simply: Sarah the Salamander takes out the trash, Lily the Lion learns to play with the other lions, or Max the Monkey listens to his parents or his bananas are confiscated. (I didn't even know the word confiscated then!) But now there is violence in the books I read, there are tyrants, heroes, deaths, births, philosophy, religious debates, morals... everything changed. Characters have middle names in the books I read now. Can you remember reading a children's book with pictures where the character had a middle name? I think it is incredible how the human mind grows, right along with our bodies.
3. The way I see things: When I was little I can't remember thinking about children that were starving, girls caught in sex trafficking, which president to vote for, which college to attend, what to say to impress someone, which foot hits the brake pedal, which the gas, or whether or not the door is locked before I go to bed each night. When I was little life was very simple. Now there are so many thoughts one can think about. There is so much to do and life rarely slows down unless you take a step back and say, "I need a break." It's not all bad. I like that I can think things out for myself now, choose what I like best, and make decisions, but I do miss the simplicity of only worrying about being able to swing after supper and whether or not Mommy will be serving vanilla ice cream, or chocolate.