Never lose your inner child, I thought, as I took T 30 years down memory lane.
Last Saturday morning, I took T on a nostalgia visit to my elementary school playground.
I was a bit over a year older than T is now when I last played there 31 years ago. It was the first school I attended in Canada after immigrating from the Philippines.
Two years ago, the hubby, T and I moved a short way down the street from this school.
Life truly is a circle.
And things seem so much bigger as a kid!
Some of the old playground is still there while newer components – and an entire extension to the school – have been added.
I remember as a Grade 2 student having to run laps around the paved perimeter around the school field. It felt massive.
As an adult, it almost feels minuscule.
It was a fun morning in the sun.
During these lockdown days, the thing that eats at me most is how little interaction T gets with kids.
So it was nice for him to be around other kids, even if they mostly played on their own.
Tonight, after the end of a long work and virtual schooling week, the hubby, T and I went for a family walk around the block.
I remarked to the hubby how little of these moments we get to enjoy together on a weekday, considering that we are together 24/7, because of how stretched our lives are right now.
So it was calming to spend the time outside together, to watch the hubby and T play, and to watch T stomp and run across the field overgrown with dandelions as the day turned into night.
I’m happy for the long weekend and happier for these longer days.
When is T’s last day of school? My grandkids is June 4th. It must seem so strange seeing T play in the same playground.
June 28 and you bet that I’m counting down the days! 🤣 It’s very surreal for sure seeing him play in the same playground. I am a tad sentimental about details like this, so it was a nice moment for sure!
Yes, the world does look and feel bigger as a kid. Also free and magical. Childhood to me is the best of all stages of ones life. It’s a time of pure joy and wonder. Thank you for sharing your nostalgic memory and your awesome time with T. These are what great days are made of . Happy weekend. Working this weekend so no road trip for me but will catch with blog friends.
Thank you for sharing this with me.
I came to Canada when I was 8. 20 years later, I visited Philippines again. I was looking so forward to seeing the home in Binondo, Manila that I lived in but it had been torn down already. Very sad. It struck me how tiny the streets and roads were. It’s so different viewing childhood through an adult’s eyes. Something is always inherently lost.
Sorry you have to work this weekend. And hope it flies by and you get some down time!
Almost 20 years too for me in the U.S. Going home is both nostalgia and shock as so much have change. It’s a feeling of belongingness and also a foreign tourist. I’m grateful of where I’d been but even more grateful of where my dreams took me. Never easy but happy memories gives us inspiration to try. Take care.
I know what you mean by the “foreign tourist” feeling!
I grew up in Kansas and a few years ago I did the same thing. I looked at one of our old houses online and could not believe how small it was in the photo, yet how big it felt to me at the time. That is pretty cool you moved so close to where your first school was. What a neat trip down memory lane! And it is nice to get outside and enjoy the fresh air as a family!
Kansas is a place I would love to visit one day. 💕
Yes, for sure, things feel so much bigger and dare I say, more magical when you’re a kid. I always wish that stays for as long as possible with kids.
Enjoy your long weekend too! I think it’s May 24 in the US? We’re celebrating the Queen. 😄
Next weekend for us. Memorial Day. I’m looking forward to hopefully doing nothing! 🙂
That’s amazing that you moved into a neighbourhood so close to where you first went to school when you moved to Canada. That must have been such a blast from the past to return to the playground and see what’s changed and what stayed the same. Hope you have a wonderful long weekend and are able to go for more family walks and spend time together outside.
Thank you, L. It was a nice little coincidence. I’m so glad the long weekend is here. I’m pretty wiped and looking forward to recharging with some nature this weekend. Likely Rouge Park hike tomorrow. Today is looking like a rain day. Enjoy your weekend as well!
Hope you managed to get some rest and relaxation this weekend and were able to spend some time outdoors. It’s starting to feel like summer.
Thank you! It was a rest-filled weekend but never long enough. 😊 Hope you had a good one too. Yes, definitely feels like summer!